


It Takes Time to Get Better

by Purple_Plums



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Discrimination, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Interspecies Romance, Mental Health Issues, Minor Violence, Multiverse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Racism, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has backstory, Reader-Insert, References to Addiction, References to Depression, References to anxiety, Reverse Harem, Slow Burn, Speciesism, Surface timeline, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21541786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Plums/pseuds/Purple_Plums
Summary: You always told him, “stop messing with that machine, Sans.” You swore you told him that on an almost weekly basis, yet – despite your words of warning – he never once listened to you. That’s why you’re now stuck in your current situation: being held by a skeleton you’ve never met before, but seemsoh-so-familiar, with a sharpened bone attack raised to your jugular. You spoke, voice laced in annoyance and frustration as you stared at Sans who was across the room, sweat dripping down his skull, “I told you tostop fucking with that machine.”
Relationships: Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 153
Kudos: 830





	1. The Machine

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [And Then There's You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14196420) by [MunRitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunRitter/pseuds/MunRitter). 



> Since I tend to go through episodes of writers' block every now-and-then, I thought I would post another fanfiction! So if I don't want to work on one story, I can work on the other one instead! It's kind of a win-win situation since you'll be getting at least one story update every week or so. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! ♥
> 
> \---
> 
>  **Warnings for this Chapter** : _Minor Violence, Brief Description of Anxiety Attack, Innapropriate Language_

### Chapter 1: The Machine

You had woken up that morning just as you would any other: with a loud groan, a moment to consider calling in sick to work, and – _eventually_ – getting yourself out of bed to begin your usual morning routine. You worked two jobs in total, both with completely different schedules; you took night and weekend shifts as a barista at a nearby café and your usual nine-to-five job as a retail worker in Ebott City. Your housemates always told you that you didn’t need to work so much – after all, they _were_ loaded due to the gold-exchange that occurred when monsters first arrived on the Surface. You always told them in return that you couldn’t not work; _“I would feel like an asshole,”_ and an asshole you would feel like indeed.

They had already done so much for you – you didn’t need them to buy your groceries and pay your share of bills; if anything, it was _you_ who should be doing that for them. Alas, every time you offer to do something for those two, they always refuse it: _“you’re saving up for college, aren’t ya?”_ and _“FRIEND, WE DO NOT NEED ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE – KEEP YOUR MONEY SO YOU CAN PAY FOR SCHOOLING!”_ are common words you often hear from them.

You _did_ want to go to college since you never got the chance to when you were younger; you wanted to major in social work, and maybe minor in psychology. Still, you feel bad about never being able to do anything for them.

As you sat up, hair messy and drool dried on your chin, a loud yawn made its way past your lips. You raised your hand to cover your mouth and threw your legs haphazardly off the side of the bed. You weren’t expecting your foot to crash into the side of your nightstand, causing your lamp to sway side-to-side dangerously. “Augh – _FUCK_!” You screamed out, grasping your throbbing appendage in your hand while your eyes only watered slightly. Nope, you weren’t going to cry… well, not this time at least. You should probably stop throwing your legs so aggressively off your bed – this has happened at least one-hundred times by now and, no matter how many times you get hurt, you never learn. You recall one morning when you hit your foot so hard it managed to _completely_ dislocated your ankle. You remember the looks on Sans’ and Papyrus’ faces as they saw you hobble into the kitchen with your broken foot raised off the ground; it was funny seeing them panic at the sight of you. Though, when you’re a skeleton, broken bones must suck _way more_ than they do for humans.

You inspected your ankle; luckily, the only thing you found to be wrong was the bruise slowly forming beneath your skin. You took a deep breath and stood up, babying your ankle as you hopped around your room. First was getting dressed in your extremely unflattering work uniform; Papyrus – ever the charmer – said you looked less worse than everyone else in the outfit. It was so funny and, what made it even better, was that he didn’t understand why you were laughing in the first place. The poor skeleton thought it was a legit compliment and it made you double over in a fit of giggles for at least five minutes.

Next was fixing your horrible bed-head. Luckily you weren’t trying to impress anyone at a _supermarket_ , so all you had to do was throw your hair back into a small bun and tame all the flyaway hairs. It wasn’t the most flattering of styles on you, but it was _work_ ; if they wanted you to look pretty then maybe they shouldn’t have scheduled you to come in so early.

After grabbing your purse, you emerged from your room and shut the door behind you, beginning the journey down the long hallway that led to the large flight of stairs. Sans and Papyrus were, in simple terms, _loaded_. They pretty much lived in a mansion out in the middle of the woods that they had shared with some of their monster friends, all whom eventually left after finding their owns places to stay.

Toriel – yes, _Queen_ Toriel – made the two of them take the house. Sans didn’t want to keep the home since he and Paps _“didn’t need the space,”_ but, once the Queen says something, it’s pretty much final; no one would _dare_ argue with her. She was a kind woman yes, but she was also a mom and the _Queen of Monsters_. You shuttered at the memory that popped into your head: you once politely turned down a serving of vegetables in favor of a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie in her presence – her gaze of disappointment from across the table ate through your entire being until you caved and ate the greens like a five-year-old child. Sans still makes fun of you for your pouting and the glare you sent towards the cauliflower and broccoli that were sitting on your plate.

Once you descended the flight of stairs, you made your way to the kitchen to see both skeletons wide awake; Sans was sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of black coffee and a newspaper while Papyrus cooked up some eggs and bacon. It’s still weird to see Papyrus cook something edible – you remember when he would cook spaghetti for every meal of the day and all the times you had to go to the hospital to get your stomach pumped. Amazingly, as long as it wasn’t pasta, he was a very talented chef; he’s quite the enigma. 

“Good morning you two!” You called out to the skeletons, placing your purse on the counter next to Sans’ coffee. He glanced up at you from the paper, his usual smile plastered on his face, “mornin’ starlight.” His grin grew even wider as he continued, “hey, how’s the foot? me and paps heard the ruckus all the way down here; it’s quite the _feet_ to be able to be that loud.”

Oh, if he wanted a good-morning pun-war then he was going to _get a good-morning-pun-war_. You took your usual seat at the stool next to him, the smirk on your face turning into a shit-eating grin as you pulled the best foot-related puns out of your ass, “Wow Sans, it hurts how much of a _kick_ you get out of my misery! Do you even have a _sole_? You know, you _kneed_ to start being nicer to me.” 

Poor Sans didn’t get the chance to even one-up you as Papyrus screamed out, “WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE STOP!? IT’S TOO EARLY TO DEAL WITH ONE OF YOUR INFAMOUS PUN-WARS!” He was standing by the stove, one hand placed on his hip and the other waving the spatula in his hand menacingly. You smiled as you read the apron tied around his waist: _“penne for your thoughts.”_ It was one of the best gifts you’ve given to Papyrus; Sans almost died at Papyrus’ expression when he unwrapped the gift and you were very close to joining him in the afterlife. Even though Papyrus insisted it wasn’t funny, you still remember the smirk that made its way on his face as he put his present back into the box. 

“Sorry about that, Papyrus. You know how we get sometimes.” Papyrus huffed at your response.

“YES, I KNOW TOO WELL HOW YOU BOTH ACT! THOUGH I DO HAVE TO SAY, YOU NEED _TOE STEP_ UP YOUR GAME – YOUR PUNS ARE BECOMING STALE!” Papyrus began radiating with pride from his joke as soon as you and Sans burst out laughing; it wasn’t every day that Papyrus joined in on one of your little pun-wars but, whenever he did, it always completely shocked both you and Sans. While you were trying to settle down from your giggle fit, Papyrus put a plate of food in front of you, accompanied with a glass of juice.

“Thanks, Papyrus – an amazing chef as always!” His face heated up at your compliment; he never really got used to your words of encouragement despite you living together for almost four years now. It made you a bit sad knowing he only ever got words like that from his brother.

“ANYONE CAN SCRAMBLE EGGS; IT’S NOT THE HARDEST TASK IN THE WORLD.” Papyrus stated, untying the back of his apron.

“Well, Sansy here isn’t able to cook anything besides hotdogs.” You pointed over at the skeleton whose head was resting on the marble counter.

“hey, you forgot about hotcats – I have some variety… you guys just need to get out of my _grill_.”

“BROTHER, I AM JUST GOING TO IGNORE YOU SAID THAT.” Papyrus stated with a poker face as he folded his apron, placing it back in one of the many drawers. As he began his way to the living room, he continued, “HAVE A GOOD DAY AT WORK, BOTH OF YOU!” And with that Papyrus left the kitchen while you ate your breakfast and Sans drank his coffee. You stopped eating and turned to him.

“So, since when did you have a job? I thought you stopped working after the gold-exchange.” Your question seemed innocent enough, but to Sans he knew what you were getting at. Your eyes never left his form as he took a long sip of his drink. Sweat began forming on his skull as he slowly placed the mug back on the counter and turned to face you.

“Sans,” you stated, voice sounding like that of a mother scolding a child, “you better not be working on that machine; I told you it’s going to get someone hurt!”

“aw, come on buddy – I’m _this_ close to finishing it and I can’t just give up now.” You finished eating your breakfast while he spoke, your eyes conveying your fear about Sans’ little project. You _hated_ that stupid machine. It’s blown up more than once and caused the power to short-circuit more often than naught. You know it means a lot to Sans – he worked on it with the late Royal Scientist – but he didn’t _need_ to get it to work. Monsters were finally on the surface; they didn’t need a machine that could teleport them out of the Underground anymore.

Sans sighing brought you out of your thoughts, “okay, how ‘bout I promise you everything will be fine? I’ll make sure it doesn’t destroy the house.” You stood up from your seat and walked to the sink, dirty dishes in hand; you’d make sure to wash them up after you got home.

“Sans, the house isn’t the problem. It’s your _safety_ ; I don’t want to come home one day just to find…” You paused to take a deep breath, “a pile of dust in the basement.” Everything was quiet for a moment, the air so thick it could be cut like butter. Even though your back was turned to Sans, you knew he was trying to find something to say – _something_ that would make you feel a little more at peace. The silence didn’t last long though as an alarm suddenly rang out from your phone, causing both you and Sans to jump. Oh, it was time to head to work. You sighed and returned to the counter to grab your purse and turn off your _“going to be late”_ alarm. You turned to leave the kitchen while Sans sat in his seat, still unable to find the right words to say. Something inside of you told you to turn around, though. So, before you left, you made your way to where Sans sat, embracing him in a tight hug.

“You better not die on me.” You muttered, squeezing him a little tighter in your arms.

“heh, come on. It’ll take a little more than that to dust me.” He told you while rubbing small circles on your back. Though, just from the tone of his voice, you know he wasn’t a firm believer in what he was saying. He was just saying it to make you feel better, but it certainly didn’t do what he wanted it to – if anything you felt _worse_. With a long sigh, you released him from your grasp, pulling away to look at his face.

You both smiled at each other, cracked a few jokes, and then said your goodbyes before you headed outside into the cool spring morning. You locked the front door behind you before walking down the stairs and unlocking your car. You flopped on the seat of your parents’ old Geo Prizm and started it up, pulling out of the driveway and down the gravel road to the city.

The entire way down the mountain you had a bad feeling stirring in your gut. You were probably just paranoid about that stupid machine – it had blown up a few times and Sans always came out unscathed – but something was telling you it wasn’t going to be like that this time. If anything, Sans probably jinxed it and tonight will be the night he ends up _biting the dust_.

You… you didn’t like that pun.

Your mind seemed to have shut off for a little bit and, before you knew it, you were sitting in front of your workplace, hands shaking as you turned your car off and shoved the keys into your purse. You exited your little piece of scrap metal and made your way into the building, instantly being greeted with smiles and _“good morning”_ s by your coworkers. While you did indeed hate the job – working in customer service was an absolute nightmare – the people you worked with made the job much more bearable. 

You made your way to the back of the building, shoving your purse into your assigned locker and placing your nametag on your vest. You then made your way to your station and sat down on the little stool, beginning the long wait for the day to be over. You had a feeling today would drag on more than usual, and just the thought of just being away from the skeletons made you sick to your stomach. You managed to tough it out for five hours before your superior finally confronted you about your behavior.

“Hey, are you feeling alright? You look a bit sick.” It was your manager, Travis, that eventually asked you the question you had been dreading all day. You looked at him in the eyes and knew you couldn’t get away with lying to him; Travis kind of reminded you of Sans – they were both extremely calm, _extremely_ observant, and could tell from a mile away if someone was being dishonest.

“It’s just, uh – my anxiety is kind of acting up today. I’m probably just being paranoid, but it feels like something… bad is going to happen, you know?” Travis just looked you dead in the eyes. When he didn’t speak it felt as though you were going to choke on the air around you. Though once he began to talk, you let out the breath you didn’t realize you were holding in.

“Listen, why don’t you head home a bit early tonight? We’ve got plenty of people who can cover you.” You wanted to tell him _“no I’m fine!”_ but you knew you weren’t. You were having problems breathing, your stomach was doing summersaults, and you don’t think you could get _any_ sweatier at this point. You wanted to apologize for just ditching but, almost as if he knew what you were going to say, told you aloud, “Don’t be sorry either; you’re a good worker who’s never missed a day of work for _three years_. You can leave early so you don’t have a _panic attack_ – just go relax, okay?”

“T… Travis, thank you so much; you have no idea how much this means to me.” You truthfully told him, smiling as you made your way back to retrieve your purse. Once you had everything you came into the store with you began your trek back up the mountain to your home. It was nice having someplace to call _“home”_ again…. It was nice knowing people were waiting for you.

When you finally pulled into the driveway and turned your car off, something immediately seemed out of place – it was _too_ quiet. While you usually like the peacefulness of the forest, this silence wasn’t relaxing – it was _foreboding_. The sun was still out, but it was almost below the horizon at this point. You really didn’t want to add _darkness_ to the already eerie feeling you were getting, so you made your way up the porch stairs, getting your house key out and ready. Carefully and quietly you walked to the front door, unlocking it with a light _‘click.’_ You grabbed the handle with clammy hands and turned, opening the door while the hinges squeaked out in protest – all you could think is _“what the fuck?”_ This door has never once made any noise and, the _one time_ you _need it_ to be quiet, it sounds like a freight train is going through the house. 

You entered the foyer and made your way to the living room, placing your purse on the coffee table and trying to listen for one of your housemates’ voices. It was strange – usually Papyrus would have greeted you by now, and they never turned the lights off this early. The only logical answer you came to was…

T h a t m a c h i n e.

 _“Sans, I swear to God if you’re dust, I’m going to raise you from the dead and then kill you myself.”_ You thought angrily to yourself as you made your way over to the basement door, testing the knob – it was unlocked. Even though you’ve lived in this place for years now, never once have you set foot in the basement; _“it’s dangerous,”_ Sans had told you. No, it wasn’t the basement that was dangerous – it was the _machine_.

Though, right as you were about to stomp your way downstairs and give Sans the _worst_ lecture of his life, a choir of voices rang out. It sounded like Sans and Papyrus but… they weren’t the same. You could hear _your_ skeletons amidst the chaos, but there seemed to be multiple people downstairs. Some voices sounded deeper; some a bit higher-pitched – they weren’t anyone you knew.

Slowly you began to turn the handle and, as soon as the doorway creaked open, a bone attack shot itself through the thick oak door, causing pieces of wood to splinter and fly around the room. In the process, the attack managed to clip your upper arm. You fell to the ground with a loud _thud_ – and you fell _hard_ , so hard it felt like your brain shook in your skull. Your hand flew up to where the attack had made contact on your shoulder, immediately putting pressure on the laceration. You could feel your blood oozing out of the wound and in-between your fingers; it was warm and sticky and you _really needed to get Sans and Papyrus and leave._

“YOU LIED TO US! YOU SAID NO ONE ELSE LIVED HERE!” That… that sounded like Papyrus. Though, you knew it wasn’t him; he would never use a tone as cruel as that. Suddenly the basement door flung open and – standing there in front of you – was a tall skeleton dressed in a variety of blacks and reds. He had a deep frown on his face as he looked at your pathetic form curled up on floor.

“b-boss, come on, why don’t we just go back downstairs and–”

“Sans,” His tone was deep and hushed as he turned to this… _red Sans_. The tone of his voice sent shivers up your spine, “It’s A Human.” 

The only thing going through your head at that moment was _“run.”_

With the sudden rush of adrenaline, you stood up and made your way to the kitchen, completely forgetting the wound on your arm. You wanted to make a beeline for the backdoor and then head around to the front of the house, but your purse was still in the living room. You knew those two foreign skeletons were right at your tail – you wouldn’t have _time_ for any of that. So instead you ran over to the sink and grabbed what was in there: this morning’s breakfast pan.

“S-Stay back right now, or you’ll regret it!” The words poured out of your mouth like vomit, your voice shaking like an earthquake. You turned to face your attackers, holding the pan firmly in front of you. Everything that happened next was so quick you didn’t have time to process it – a barrage of attacks came your way and, at that moment, you had pretty much accepted death. It would be a cool one though; you got to think positive sometimes. 

A wall of bones appeared in front of you as an arm wrapped itself around your neck from behind, holding you tightly in its grasp. A voice rang out from your right, coming from a skeleton dressed in dark blue, “OH NO YOU DON’T! _WE’RE_ TAKING THIS HUMAN – NOT YOU! THE QUEEN IS GOING TO BOW TO _ME_ ONCE I BRING HER THE LAST SOUL NEEDED TO BREAK THE BARRIER.”

That’s when you felt the pointed edge of a bone under your neck, causing your breath to catch in your throat. You couldn’t move – you couldn’t even fight back because you knew whoever this was certainly did not care if you were dead or not. Plus, they were probably _way_ faster and stronger than you, so you were screwed no matter what. You sat there while the three skeletons in front of you bickered and took in their features, some of their mannerisms… you couldn’t help but ask, “Sans, P… Papyrus, w-what’s going on?” 

Three sets of eyelights turned to look at you; well, it was probably four but you couldn’t see the skeleton holding you up to… bone-point? Is that what you’d call it? They all seemed to be very confused and stopped their hostile actions for a brief moment. You took the chance to continue, “W-What happened? Did the machine mess up again?”

“how the hell do ya’ know about the machine?” The red Sans spoke as he glared at you from across the room. Before you could respond a very familiar skeleton was standing in the kitchen’s walkway, sweat dripping down his skull – it was Sans, _your_ Sans. You were relieved when you saw him – you know, someone who wasn’t actively trying to kill you – but you were suddenly filled to the brim with frustration. You told him so many times, _“stop messing with that machine, Sans.”_ He never listened to you and, now, you’ve got a bunch of bloodthirsty skeletons after your soul because of that hunk of junk. 

You glared at Sans and spoke, voice hoarse and laced with annoyance, “I told you to _stop fucking with that machine.”_


	2. The Battle of the Human and Skeleton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're very, _very_ angry with Sans right now.
> 
> \---
> 
>  **Warnings for this Chapter** : _Minor Violence, Brief Mention of Blood, Innapropriate Language_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, here is the second chapter - it took a little bit longer to write than I had planned for, so I hope you like it! ♥

### Chapter 2: The Battle of the Human and Skeleton

_“I told you to stop fucking with that machine.”_

As soon as those words left your mouth, you could feel everyone’s eyelights looking at your face – taking in the determination painted across your features. The two skeletons across the room had stopped bickering with one another just to watch you; you could only describe the look in their eyes as a mixture between bewilderment and annoyance. The Papyrus who looked like he shopped at Hot Topic – whom shall now be known as _Edge_ , short for _Edgelord_ – was still holding a bone attack in his grasp, eye sockets squinted as he looked at you with an almost confused expression. The Sans with the gold tooth – you were just going to call him Red to make things easier on yourself – seemed almost impressed at your sudden outburst, _especially_ since you were being held hostage and had enough _gall_ to talk back; he found it funny that you were yelling at the skeleton trying to save you and not the four monsters actively trying to harm you. So… you seemed to have impressed Red to some degree, and even managed to silence the two boisterous skeletons who had, up until this moment, refused to shut up. Then there was your Sans, standing in the doorway with a look of pure shock on his face, sweat continuing to form on his forehead – if anything, he was sweating more after your unexpected blowup.

Oh, he should definitely be worrying even more than he had been; you were so, _so_ angry with him right now. If he only had listened to you this wouldn’t be happening – you know, trying to be murdered by a bunch of skeletons from _alternate universes_. Your mind was so clouded with anger that you completely forgot about the bone resting by your jugular. You lifted the pan in your hand in one quick motion, pointing it at Sans – your eyes were ablaze with ire, mouth turned downwards into a deep frown. The skeleton behind you flinched slightly, grasp tightening on his weapon, but – when he realized you weren’t going to attack _him_ – relaxed slightly. 

“Sans, _you son of a bitch_!” Sans’, and seemingly everyone else’s in the room, jaws were hanging open. You couldn’t blame them, though – your voice was booming, nothing at all like it had been a few moments ago; your tone had taken a complete 180°. You weren’t scared anymore, no, you were _pissed_. While it does take quite a lot to get you to actually snap, once you do… well, it’s not a pretty sight. Sans raised his hands in front of himself defensively as he told you, “h-hey, come on kid, at least I’m not dust, right?”

“Oh, you’ll _be dust_ once I get my hands on you!” Everyone around you was simply staring as you continued to rip Sans a non-existent new one. You continued to scold him for at least a good five or so minutes, telling him, _“why don’t you ever listen to me?”, “I told you so.”,_ and, your personal favorite, _“you’re such a bonehead!”_ Your last sentence earned you a few groans from two of the skeletons, a chuckle from Red, and a quiet snort from the unknown figure behind you. Poor Sans was just standing there, confused as all get out. He just kept internally asking himself, why were you so angry at him? At least he wasn’t the skeleton trying to _kill you_. 

“Hey, _pal_ ,” You began, continuing to point at Sans with your skillet, “before you decide to kill me, can I go kick his ass real quick? It won’t take long, I promise.” You asked the skeleton behind you, trying to turn your body around so you could finally get a look at your captor. At this point his grip around your neck had loosened quite significantly; though, that may have been due to the fact you were waving your pan around in the air like a madman while you had talked frantically with your hands. Your eyes met with two dull orange lights; they looked like the color of rusted metal. Behind you stood a tall skeleton adorning a fluffy hoodie and possessing a single gold canine. While he looked fairly calm on the outside, his eyelights radiated nervousness as he gazed down at you, sweat beading on his skull. 

“MUTT, GO AHEAD AND LET THE HUMAN GO; I’D LOVE TO SEE IT AND THAT WIMPY VERSION OF MYSELF GO AT IT.” Your eye twitched as this other Sans – you’ll just call him _Black_ since Edge was already taken by the other jackass – called you an _“it.”_ Alas, you didn’t have time to be angry at multiple skeletons – you just needed to be angry at one specific monster at the moment.

The skeleton behind you faltered for a moment, sending his brother a questioning glance before sighing and removing the bone from your neck, moving away from your form with careful steps. As soon as you were free from your captor’s grasp – _and_ out of his reach – you took long strides towards Sans, a gleam of determination burning in your eyes. Said skeleton could only wearily smile at you as he continued to back away from your advancing form, holding his hands up in a defensive manner. He started to speak, voice uneasy as he spoke, “starlight how ‘bout you just calm down for a sec–” 

“No, I am _not_ going to calm down!” You exclaimed, shaking your frying pan like Papyrus had done this morning with his spatula, “What the hell were you thinking!? You just put all of us into danger because you couldn’t give up on that machine – you’re not Underground anymore, Sans! You don’t _need_ it to work!” He flinched slightly at your words, eyelights darting to the floor. 

“I… listen, kid, I’m sorry–”

“YOU SAID IT WOULDN’T TAKE LONG, HUMAN.” An annoyed voice spoke from behind you in the kitchen. When you turned around, Edge came into view, adorning a scowl and look of pure ire in his eyelights. His arms were crossed as he lightly tapped his booted foot against the tile, waiting for you to answer him. Behind him was Red, eye sockets void of any light; you knew what that was – it was the strange look that Sans always got whenever he felt distressed. You wonder what had made them disappear so suddenly; no one was fighting anymore – well, _besides_ you and Sans, of course. 

“Sorry about that – you know how hard it is to deal with Sans sometimes.” You answered with a small smile. What you said seemed to be a good enough response as his grimace began to turn into just a frown. He told you with a huff, “YES, I KNOW THAT FEELING QUITE WELL – MY BROTHER CAN BE AN OUTRIGHT NUISANCE AT TIMES. I HAVE TO WATCH OVER HIM AS IF HE’S STILL A BABYBONES!”

You couldn’t help your growing smile as he spoke. This was good – you were starting to get some equal footing with him. If you could get these skeletons to relate to you to some capacity, maybe you could have a better chance at getting them to calm down and listen to reason. If these four are anything at all like your pair, then – as long as you can get _one_ brother to trust you – the other will _at least_ give you a chance. You decide to glance over at Black, noting that he is bearing the same expression as Red – eyelights completely extinguished, face void of any emotion as he continues to gaze in your general direction. 

“w-wait a second,” The skeleton who had yet to speak uttered out, his words meek and shaky. You didn’t have a nickname in mind when it came to him, so you just decided to go along with the name his brother called him by – _Mutt_. He had a strange look painted across his features, hands shaking lightly by his sides. After a long moment of silence and all eyes focused on Mutt – well, except for Red and Black – he asked, “y… you said _‘you’re not Underground anymore_ ….’” He paused for a moment before continuing, his gaze hard as he looked you in the eyes, “is it true; are… are we on the Surface here?”

You turned your body completely around to face these oh-so-familiar skeletons, turning your back to Sans as you tried to give them a patient smile despite rage still brewing inside of you. Attacking and trying to _kill_ you certainly wasn’t okay – _no matter the circumstance_ – but they were probably confused and scared; you know you would be if one day you were in a new place filled with other versions of yourself. Sans slowly lowered his hands after seeing your attention focused elsewhere, knowing you weren’t going to kick his ass to the moon and back – well, at _least_ not at this very moment.

“Yep; monsters have been above ground for almost four years now – the anniversary of the Ascension is in a few months, actually.” They all seemed to go silent for a moment – even Edge had stopped tapping his foot against the kitchen tile. You guess they were too busy trying to take your soul that they hadn’t even taken the time to look outside one of the home’s many windows. You walked away from Sans and made your way back into the kitchen, doing your best to stay as far away from the skeletons as humanly possible. You placed your frying pan down on the kitchen counter carefully, trying to make the least amount of noise. You began walking to the backdoor you were originally going to use as an escape route, shoes lightly thumping against the floor. When no one made a move to attack you, you opened the door and sighed quietly as a soft spring breeze blew in.

“Come on – the sun hasn’t set completely yet, so you four can get a good look at your first sunset!” You smiled at them, ushering the skeletons to follow you. You could tell Sans wanted to say something but, in the end, decided against it; now he was just simply waiting for the other skeletons to make a decision. You were patient, however, telling them, “Don’t worry, I won’t bite; besides, even if I _did_ bite you, you guys are made out of bone – it'd be a dumb move on my part.” 

When no one moved, a small sigh escaped past your lips – you kept smiling, though, even as you began to exit the home. You needed them to know you weren’t going to do anything to harm them – you needed them to _trust_ you. After a few seconds, you turned around to watch the skeletons begin to follow you out – their shoulders were tense and their eyelights were focused as they darted around the area, seemingly looking for something. Each pair of brothers were doing their best to stay as far away from the other two as possible – it almost seemed as if they were just _waiting_ for someone to attack them. You couldn’t help but wonder where they came from; it certainly wasn’t anything like the Underground that was in your universe. 

“It’s spring right now – all the leaves on the trees are starting to come back, _plus_ the flowers will probably be blooming soon.” You walked down the back porch's stairs and into the large backyard, listening to the wood creak slightly as the skeletons followed behind you. There wasn’t a whole lot in the back of the home, just a little shed and a vegetable garden you and Papyrus tended to, but it was still beautiful. You turned around to see the four skeletons gazing around, probably overwhelmed by everything. You smiled and told them, “It _is_ only March at the moment, so there isn’t a whole lot of greenery out yet; just wait a week or two and this place will look even _more_ stunning.” 

Their gazes eventually shifted to look at you, the setting sun outlining your form in a dull, amber glow. The longer you looked at them, the more you felt as though you were going to cry. At one point, this is what _your_ Sans and Papyrus looked like – breathless as they took in everything they had never seen before: the stars, the plants, the animals – you could go on for ages. It was heartbreaking to know they went _years_ never knowing what the warmth from the sun felt like. 

“Once the sun sets,” You began, gesturing towards the horizon. You knew how much _your_ skeletons loved space, so, _maybe_ , these four were similar. You continued to speak, the smile on your face almost as bright as the sun behind you, “you’ll be able to see the stars! Sans has a bunch of books on astronomy and the like so, sometimes for fun, I like to come out here and look for the constellations; the view from the roof is _amazing_ , by the way.”

Everything was silent until Red said, breathlessly, “we really made it….” You couldn’t help the pain that surged through your chest at his words. Even though Sans and Papyrus have been on the Surface for years now, they have never lost that sparkle in their sockets whenever they look up at the sky. Sans told you they used to wish on crystals in Waterfall since they were the closest things they had to stars – generation upon generation of monsters wishing for freedom, most not even being able to live to see the day it finally happened. 

Your gaze traveled behind the four skeletons to look at Sans; he was now outside, leaning against one of the porch’s beams with a weak smile plastered on his skull. You gave him a slight smirk in return, turning around to watch the sunset with the whole skeleton crew. A loud voice suddenly yelled out, breaking the calming silence and startling everyone in the backyard, “BROTHER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU SAID IT WOULD ONLY BE A FEW MIN…” 

Papyrus trailed off as you turned around to look at him, a tired smile resting on your face. He was standing in the doorway, two skeletons peeking out from behind his tall form. All you could think was: _“oh my God how many people did Sans bring here??”_

One of the new skeletons reached the same height as Papyrus – he was pretty vertically _Stretch_ ed, if you will. He was dressed in a baggy orange hoodie and a pair of cargo shorts, the sneakers on his feet showing their wear from over the years. His eye sockets were half-lidded as he swirled a lollipop stick around in his mouth; he looked just as exhausted as Sans did. The other was much shorter, but still a little taller than you, and adorned a baby blue bandana. His eyelights were in the shape of stars as he looked behind you, sockets sparkling at the beautiful spring sunset – he kind of reminded you of a _Blue_ berry, if that even makes any sense.

You raised your hand and waved, the motion suddenly draining any remaining energy out of you. You told Papyrus, “Hey, Paps; glad you could join the party.” You turned your attention to the pair of skeletons behind him as you continued, even though it felt as though your eyelids were going to slam shut, “Oh, and hello to you two – sorry about this whole fiasco. It sounds a little bit _out of this world_ , but, if anyone could manage to fuck up the entire multiverse, it would definitely be Sans here.” 

You were waiting for an answer – _maybe_ even a groan or a chuckle – but a reply never came. The new pair of brothers seemed to now both be staring at you, just like Papyrus had been for the past minute or so. Sans’ bone brows knitted together; he seemed just as confused as you were. He followed where the others’ gazes seemed to be looking – though, once it landed on you, his eye sockets went completely black and his smile immediately fell from his face. 

_“Oh shit,”_ You thought, _“that is not a good sign.”_

“WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING? CAN’T YOU SEE WE’RE DOING SOMETHING AT THE MOMENT!” Edge asked, crossing his arms and hesitantly turning his attention away from the sunset. You watched as Stretch pointed at you, the lollipop hanging from his mouth and a look of worry plastered on his face, “uhh, that – on the human’s arm. I, uh… don’t think it’s s’posed to look like that.” 

You had _no clue_ what they were talking about... What was on your arm? 

Your brows furrowed together as you lifted your hand to where they appeared to be gawking, the tips of your fingers grazing over raw flesh and immediately becoming coated in something very, _very warm_. In that moment, an agonizing surge of pain began to pulsate through your entire arm. You cringed at the uncomfortable feeling, pulling your hand away from the newfound burning sensation on your shoulder – it felt as though someone lit your entire arm on _fire_. Tears began to form in the corner of your eyes, the pain slowly becoming more and more unbearable as the newly reopened gash began to bleed again from the sudden contact. You suppose the adrenaline high you had been on up until this point was finally over and, now, you were feeling all the pain from your previous encounter. It’s crazy that you didn’t feel anything at all before now – the moment where everything felt so peaceful and relaxing. 

Before you knew it, Sans and Papyrus were at your side, fretting over you like two mother hens. They seemed to be quite concerned; Sans told Papyrus in a hushed voice, “oh shit, this looks _bad_.”

The slight panic in his voice caused the fear you had experienced nearly half an hour ago to bubble up again, causing your stomach to feel like you were on a rollercoaster. Sans was staring at your shoulder, brows knotted together as the bags under his sockets seemingly got darker. Papyrus’ hands were on your arm as he studied your wound, making sure his touches were as light as a feather; his lack of words caused the anxiety to grow even faster. Though, no matter what, you trust them. Ever since the whole broken-ankle fiasco, both of your housemates had started doing more research on human ailments and, at this point, were very well educated. You’d say you were surprised, but that would be a lie; Sans and Papyrus are both extremely intelligent – people just don’t always see it.

“H… hey, don’t worry! It’ll be fine.” Your voice came out weary and unsure; while the wound wasn’t going to _kill_ you, it certainly was going to put you out of commission for a while. You continued to speak, doing your best to convince your two housemates to at least stop hovering over you, “It’s not even that deep – I’m sure all I’ll need is a couple stitches at most! I can just wrap it up for the time being.” 

Alas, your words did nothing to calm their anxieties. While they did at least step out of your personal space, their reactions were not _at all_ what you wanted. Sans ran his phalanges down his face, eyelights hazy and skull somehow _paler_ than its usual shade of white; he looked absolutely horrible… he looked like _death himself_. Papyrus stepped back and placed his hands on his waist, telling you, “NO – WE ARE TAKING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW! THAT,” He paused to gesture at your shoulder, “IS NOT _FINE!_ ”

You huffed slightly, telling him, “Papyrus, I’m okay – really! Besides,” You gestured towards the six new skeletons who had gathered around to watch your little midday drama unfold, “we have to deal with the mess your brother made.”

You could see Sans out of the corner of your eye walk back to the porch to sit down on the stairs, placing his skull in his hands and letting out a prolonged sigh. You felt bad but, at the same time, felt it was deserved. If this was the wake-up call Sans needed to finally get him to stop messing with that machine, you guess you would accept it. However, you never thought the wake-up call that Sans would need was managing to _fuck up the entire multiverse_.

Though, you have to admit, it is impressive that he managed to confirm that hypothesis. Maybe if the circumstances were different, you might have even congratulated him. The multiverse theory had always fascinated you – infinite amounts of worlds like ours, all differing from one another to some degree, was such an incredible thing. You guess the _one_ good thing to come out of that hunk of junk in the basement was the confirmation of such an awesome speculation.

Papyrus continued to give you a questioning glace, sockets squinted and arms crossed. You gave him the best puppy-dog eyes you possibly could manage – you even pushed out your quivering lower lip to try and get your point across. Were you acting childish? Hell yeah you were – you needed to get everything sorted out here before even _thinking_ of going to the hospital. You don’t really trust Sans and Papyrus to be able to do this by themselves so, whether they liked it or not, you were staying to give them an extra hand. 

Papyrus rolled his eyelights, threw his hands into the air, and let out a dramatic sigh, exclaiming, “FINE! BUT AFTER WE GET EVERYTHING SORTED OUT, _YOU_ ARE GOING TO GET MEDICAL TREATMENT!” And with that, he made his way back into the home, most likely trying to find the first aid kit you have stashed somewhere inside. You could hear him muttering under his breath but – for once – you couldn’t understand what he was saying. 

As you watched Papyrus’ retreating form, your eyes landed to where Sans was sitting on the porch – head still hung low. You walked over to where he sat, taking a seat beside him on the wooden stairs. You placed your hand gently on his back, moving it around in small circles. You flashed him a sympathetic smile as you said, “Come on, Sans. Let’s have a good house meeting with our guests.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness college is actually killing me,, I have no motivation to do anything. Updates will probably be slow and/or nonexistent for the next two weeks because finals are closing in.... (´；д；`)
> 
> I plan on updating both of my stories after finals, though! I'll see you then, and thank you for the support and encouragement. ♥


	3. Extremely Uncreative Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's time to finally tell the skeletons about the stupid nicknames you subconsciously gave them. 
> 
> \---
> 
> **Warnings for this Chapter:** _Brief Mention of Blood, Innapropriate Language_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little hiatus that I went on; college is a bit stressful haha,, 
> 
> It took me quite some time to be able to write this chapter _and_ get to a point where I liked it, so I hope it was worth the wait! ♥

### Chapter 3: Extremely Uncreative Nicknames

You knew things were going to be a _bit_ awkward – I mean, half of the skeletons have tried to kill you now at some point – but you didn’t think it would be _this_ bad. You were sitting in the living room on the coziest couch you have ever had the honor to sit on, Papyrus next to you as he rummaged through the first aid kit sitting on the coffee table in front of you. Every noise he made seemed to echo through the silent house, making the still air around you even more unbearable. It was the calm after the storm, but something inside of you felt as though it was _too_ calm. You wanted to lighten up the mood by telling a bad pun, but you don’t think now would be the best time for jokes – you don’t think even _Sans_ of all people would get a kick out of it – not with the way he was glaring at the other skeletons scattered around the room. 

You snapped out of your thoughts as Papyrus called your name, voice uncharacteristically quiet, “Could You Remove Your Shirt? I Need To See How Bad The Wound Is.” You gave him a tired smile as you unbuttoned your shirt, trying to take it off without hurting your shoulder even more. Luckily, Papyrus noticed your struggle and helped you out, making sure you didn’t injure yourself further. Once the article of clothing was off your person, he placed your mangled button-up on the floor; you didn’t realize how bloody it was until you saw the large red stain on the sleeve. You knew the cut wasn’t enough to kill you, but it certainly was enough to make you feel a bit light-headed. 

Now here you were, sitting in a room with a bunch of skeletons – half of whom tried to murder you – in just a sweaty tank top and _extremely_ unflattering slacks. In the past, you would have felt embarrassed looking like you did in front of other people – _especially_ guys – but, at this point in your life, you didn’t care what others thought of you anymore. It was a blessing but, at the same time, a curse. 

“Sooo,” You began while Papyrus gently wrapped up your wound with gauze, his gaze traveling up to look at you every now and then as you spoke, “we all know Sans managed to drag all of you here, but _how_ did he do that exactly? I thought the machine was simply able to teleport someone to a place they have never been before.” 

You looked over to where Sans was leaning up against the couch, hoping to get a response. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, “Yeah, uh… that’s what it was s’posed to do…. really wasn’t expecting all of _this_.” He gestured vaguely around the room with one hand, eyelights refusing to leave the floor. 

Wow, that answered exactly none of your questions! Before you could get a chance to ask him in further detail, Stretch spoke up from the recliner across the room, “Apparently, we were all messin’ with the machine at the same time and when, uh… Sans got it to work it, um, kind of pulled us all _here_ for some reason.” He said, gesturing around the room just like Sans had done moments ago. You blanked slightly at his words, staring at him with large eyes and a gaping mouth. Stretch had exactly no clue why you were looking at him like that; he even began to sweat under your intense gaze. 

“Wait, wait, wait…” You felt like you were going to have an aneurysm at that very moment even as you continued, “ _all of you_ were messing with the machine?” Oh God, you could barely deal with Sans’ obsession for that piece of scrap and, now, you had to deal with _even more skeletons_ just like him? 

Before anyone could say something else, you declared aloud, “Well, you’re _not_ messing with it anymore. I don’t need even more versions of you two,” you glanced over to Sans and Papyrus, pointing at both of them with your index and middle fingers. Though, you smiled slightly as you resumed speaking, trying your best to lighten the mood, “well, I wouldn’t mind another Papyrus – at least _he_ doesn’t go around messing with time and space.” 

“well guess what, doll?” Red suddenly snapped, glaring at you from the kitchen archway, “we can’t exactly stop workin’ on it now – none of us belong ‘ere; we can’t stay forever.” You flinched slightly at his harsh tone, gaze wandering down to your lap where your now clenched fists were resting. You didn’t want them to continue _“fixing”_ the machine but, at the end of the day, you had no say in what these skeletons wanted to do. They were ripped away from their home – from their _universe_... You knew if that happened to you, you’d do anything you could to get back; you had friends and family you weren’t ready to give up just yet. You sighed, removing the scrunchie that was remarkably still holding your hair up in a now _very messy_ bun. 

“I… I’m sorry – that was rude of me to say,” You looked back up at Red, eyes soft and the smile gone from your face; he almost seemed taken aback by your apology as he tried to look everywhere but at you, sweat beading on his skull. Your gaze eventually made its way around to everyone in the room, eyes interlocking as you flashed every one of them a tired smile. You asked, voice faint, “Just promise me you won’t get yourselves killed? Please?”

No one responded to your plea. You knew that couldn’t promise you that and, well… that scared you more than anything. Everything seemed to stop as more time passed; you could feel your chest begin to tighten and your breath becoming labored. No, you weren’t going to do this – not now. 

“I PROMISE I WILL NOT GET MYSELF KILLED; YOU HAVE MY WORD!” Papyrus exclaimed from beside you as he packed the remaining medical supplies back into the kit. He was beaming at you, obviously sensing your distress. Sans had made his way behind you at some point, his hand resting on your non-injured shoulder. “heh, I’ll do my best – I’ve got a decent track record of not dying, but don’t freak out too much if the machine brings another six of me and Paps here, okay?” You just shot him a playful glare, a slight pout on your lips.

“Sans I swear if you bring even more of you two into this house, I will actually _lose it_.” Sans suddenly burst out laughing at your shallow threat, doubling over while holding onto the back of the couch. This managed to bring a genuine smile to your face. You knew what you said wasn’t funny – Sans was just tired – but it made you feel a lot better knowing you got him to _laugh_ ; it didn’t sound like he was faking it, either.

“Wait, what are we going to do about them?” You questioned, gesturing to the room. Sans gave you a questioning glance, the smile still on his face as he asked, “what ‘cha mean? where they’re going to go?” 

The room got tense as Sans said that and you could feel everyone’s eyelights on you. You didn’t know why everyone was looking at you, seemingly waiting for you to say something…. It took you a moment or two to comprehend the words that came out of his mouth. Though, once you finally realized how his question could be misinterpreted you exclaimed, words tumbling out like vomit, “Oh no, they’re welcome to stay here – I have no problem with that!” 

You could feel the room immediately relax at your words. You continued once it felt like the suffocating feeling had subsided, “I was just thinking about what we would call everyone. We can’t exactly call everyone _‘Sans’_ and _‘Papyrus’_ – it’s going to get pretty confusing pretty fast.”

“OH PLEASE – I’M SURE WE’LL BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO WITHOUT THE NEED FOR IDIOTIC NICKNAMES.” Black told you, his tone condescending. He was standing by the front door, arms crossed and an annoyed look plastered on his face as he stared you down. You simply raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner; you highly doubt they’ll be able to tell which _“Sans”_ and _“Papyrus”_ you were referring to. You cleared your throat slightly, getting ready to put this skeleton in his place.

“Oh, okay then. If you don’t think this will get confusing then I guess we don’t need nicknames, right Papyrus?” As if on cue Edge, Stretch, and Mutt all acknowledged you in their own way: Mutt glanced up at you after his intense scrutiny of the floorboards, Stretch made a comical _“hmm?”_ sound, and Edge simply gave you a loud _“WHAT?”_

You really couldn’t help the smug smirk you got after proving your point – even the heated glare from Black wasn’t going to stop you from enjoying your _“I-told-you-so”_ moment; two in one day was certainly a record for the books! You stood up from the couch and clapped your hands together, the sudden loud noise startling the more Hot-Topic-esque skeletons. With a shit-eating grin, you said aloud, “Okay, nickname time it is! I’ve got a few in mind but – be warned – they are _pretty_ shitty.”

“HUMAN, I’M CERTAIN THAT YOUR NICKNAMES ARE GOING TO BE GREAT!” Blue exclaimed, coming up to you and grabbing one of your hands, cradling it in his own gloved ones. It was so strange seeing Sans act like Papyrus – it was almost otherworldly… well, technically, it was otherworldly. 

“Thanks Blue, I really appreciate it!” And appreciate it you did! You were kind of giddy to have another kind, excitable soul living in the house. Papyrus always managed to brighten up even your darkest days; you could never have too much positivity, after all. 

“BLUE?” He asked, tilting his skull slightly. 

“Yep, that’s the nickname I had in mind for you!” As you spoke your gaze traveled down to look at the floor, face a light pink from embarrassment; you were starting to regret telling them the stupid nicknames you made up. It was too late to turn back now, so you continued, “I know it’s not very creative, or even _good_ , but–” You had gone to look him in the eyes and, at that moment, lost the ability to speak. His eyelights had taken the shape of stars, their color a light baby blue. Since when were they able to do that – why didn’t Sans and Papyrus ever tell you this!? 

“NO, IT IS PERFECT – AN AMAZING NICKNAME FROM MY NEW HUMAN FRIEND!” Blue exclaimed, now holding both of your hands tighter in his grasp. He was staring up at you with his star-shaped pupils, a wide smile plastered across his face – you couldn’t help but mirror his expression.

Though, in the corner of your eye, you saw Stretch stand up from the recliner, hands at his sides instead of in his pockets. You didn’t even have to look at him directly to know he was giving you _“the look,”_ as you liked to call it. If he was anything like Sans, you knew it would take a lot of time to even get him to trust you – _let alone_ be your friend. You’re going to bet that, by the end of this little house meeting, he will probably threaten you in a very vague manner and warn you about not hurting his brother. Your good old Sansy did that to you every now and then the first year you lived in the house with them. He was probably trying to scare you off – get you to leave him and his brother be – but you were not giving up what you paid to rent out your room; it was ridiculous how cheap the cost was!

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT – THAT IS AN AWFUL NICKNAME! I DEMAND TO PICK OUT MY OWN!” Edge exclaimed as he slowly began to walk towards you. Once he pretty much pushed Blue out of the way, much to Blue’s surprise and Stretch’s annoyance, he ordered, placing his gloved hand on his chest, “YOU MAY CALL ME ‘MASTER,’ HUMAN.” 

“Yeah, no-can-do buddy – none of that kinky shit in this house.” You said, not skipping a beat. You made your way behind the couch to stand next to Sans and leaned over the back of it, placing your elbow on the cushions and a hand under your chin. You continued, a slight smirk on your face as you saw the way he floundered at your comment, “I’m going to call you Edge – short for _Edgelord_.”

“WHAT!?” He yelled, starting to talk with his hands as Papyrus usually did; they were quite the animated bunch, huh? 

“THAT ONE IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE RUNT’S – I DEMAND TO HAVE A MORE RESPECTFUL NICKNAME!” You noticed as Red made his way closer to his brother, a nervous look on his skull. You really hoped he was getting ready to stop his brother from trying to kill you if the situation were to arise; it would kind of suck if you had to deal with _both_ of them trying to kill you for a second time in one day. 

“Nope – you have to earn it! You’ll get a nice, _respectful_ nickname once you change your attitude.” If life were a cartoon, you were certain he would have steam coming from his skull. He probably wanted to strangle you if Red’s expression was any indication. With a slight roll of your eyes, you turned to Black and Mutt.

Yeah… you were _not_ calling someone _“mutt”_ – just like how you would not be calling anyone _“master”_ or _“lord.”_

You pointed at the unnervingly quiet Papyrus, telling him with a smile, “Okay, your nickname is going to be Rus – you know, short for Papyrus! And you,” You pointed at the egotistical version of Sans, “will be called Black because of, uh… your fashion choice, I guess?” 

Suddenly, Edge exclaimed, “WHAT – WHY DOES HE GET A BETTER NICKNAME THAN ME!?” His eyelights were blazing with fury as he pointed to Black, the latter of which just scoffed at the other skeletons statement, obviously done with his childish antics. It was strange, you knew you should be annoyed at Edge’s behavior but, if you were being completely honest, you found it to be absolutely _hilarious_. 

“BECAUSE I’M NOT THE ONE ACTING LIKE A BABYBONES – PLUS, I NEVER _ATTACKED_ HER.” Black stated, turning towards and gesturing to the wound on your shoulder. 

“LIAR!” Edge screeched out in anger as he stomped his booted foot on the floorboards. At this point they were just simply arguing with one another, completely ignoring everyone else. Stretch had made his way over to Blue to make sure his brother wasn’t hurt in any way, fretting over him like you had seen Sans do every now and then with Papyrus. The arguing skeletons’ brothers were standing close to their sides; Red and Rus were having an extremely heated staredown, both seemingly trying to size the other up. Before things could get heated any further, you made your way over to the skeletons, dodging Sans’ attempt to stop you. You walked past an almost frantic Papyrus, a worried Blue, and Stretch who was currently giving you _quite_ the questioning glance. 

“Okay, okay – knock it off, you guys.” You made your way in between the skeletons, all of them towering over you quite significantly. Papyrus was already taller than you by an entire foot, and Sans about an inch or two, but these four were _huge_. Red seemed to be taller than Sans by at least three inches, and Edge with his heeled boots was almost two whole feet taller than you. Black and Rus both seemed to be the same height as your Sans and Papyrus but, still, their whole vibe _is_ a bit intimidating. 

They had stopped arguing to watch as you gingerly placed your hands on their chests, giving them a light push to further the distance between one another. Luckily, no one made any attempt to kill you – well, Red and Rus didn’t seem to appreciate you getting physical with their brothers, and Edge and Black seemed to be extremely taken aback by your light touch. 

“Okay, can you guys not be at each other’s throats for _at least_ five minutes?” You asked, your tone almost sounding like a parent scolding their child. You looked back and forth at the two groups of brothers, watching as they looked everywhere but you. None of them gave you any indication they would be decent five minutes – all you got were scoffs, eye rolls, or them ignoring you completely; it felt like you were dealing with a bunch of angsty teenagers. You sighed slightly and made your way back to the couch to continue with the nickname-giving ceremony; though, an idea to lighten the mood a bit popped into your head. 

With a slight smirk, you turned to Edge and said, “Also, if we want to be technical about this, _Rus_ was the one who attacked me – not Black. So, that’s why he gets a better nickname; as long as you don’t attack me, I may give you another title besides _Edgelord_.” 

“WELL, YOU ARE CERTAINLY MAKING THAT TASK _EXTREMELY DIFFICULT_.” You just chuckled at his most likely _very serious_ threat. You wanted this place to feel like a home to them, at least until they made it back to theirs. In all honesty, you were really looking forward to being able to show them the Surface. There are so many beautiful things out there – so many experiences they didn’t have Underground! 

With a large smile, you continued to give out their nicknames. Stretch simply chuckled at his name, saying it wasn’t as bad as a certain someone’s; you swore he did that _just_ to piss Edge off. Red liked his, too, saying it fit the whole color theme they had going on. You didn’t even realize you gave the multiple versions of Sans color nicknames: Red, Blue, and Black. That’s actually kind of cool – you didn’t even mean for it to happen!

“Well, now that _that’s_ all settled, let’s get you guys a place to stay.” Sans said as he gathered up the group, leading them upstairs to show them all of the open rooms available. Not counting Sans’, Papyrus’, or your rooms, the large house had at least fifteen others – it was _insane_ how big the place was. 

“COME ON, NOW – YOU PROMISED ME YOU’D GO TO THE HOSPITAL!” Papyrus exclaimed from where he stood by the front door, jingling his car keys between his fingers as he tapped his foot lightly on the floor. 

“Okay Paps – I’m coming, don’t worry.” You made your way over to the door where Papyrus already stood with your jacket held tightly in his arms; it almost looked as if he was hugging it. He helped you put it on, something of which you were extremely grateful for; you didn’t want to re-open the stupid cut on your shoulder. As you both began your way to the garage where Papyrus’ red sports car was parked, you turned around and called up to the group upstairs, “Please don’t cause any trouble while we’re gone!” 

You couldn’t help but giggle as Blue swore to you that he would keep everyone in line, that of which caused Edge to become annoyed and exclaim, voice laced with pride, “HA, YOU THINK YOU HAVE MORE AUTHORITY THAN ME? I AM CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” 

“OH PLEASE,” You heard Black start, “I’M CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD AND AM OLDER THAN YOU. TECHNICALLY, _I_ HAVE THE MOST AUTHORITY.” The next thing you heard was a loud argument between Black, Edge, and Blue. You watched as Sans made his way down the stairs, sweat on his skull as he pleaded, “Why’d ‘ja have to do that? Can you at least give a skeleton a hand here?”

You kind of felt bad for Sans, leaving him to deal with the little argument you unintentionally started, but…

“Ouch! Sorry Sans, but my arm _really_ hurts all of a sudden!” He just gave you a poker face, eye sockets squinted in scrutiny and smile turned down into a tired frown. You continued, a slight grin on your face, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back in at least an hour or two. Just make sure they don’t burn the place down!” And with that you made your escape to the garage where you jumped into the passenger’s seat of Papyrus’ car, buckling up as you both began the descent down the mountain. You watched as the house became smaller and smaller on the horizon until it was completely gone from view. You really, really hope it will still be standing by the time you get back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was kind of boring? I wasn't sure how I wanted to introduce the whole nickname thing, so I thought I would at least make it a fun exchange between the skeletons and Reader to further develop their relationships with one another. 
> 
> I'm always open to constructive criticism-- just no hate, please! I don't think my sensitive heart could handle it,, ;w;


	4. All Fixed Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally go to the hospital to get your arm glued back together. 
> 
> \---
> 
> **Warnings for this Chapter:** _Brief Description of Laceration_

### Chapter 4: All Fixed Up

You had made it to the hospital in record time due to Papyrus’ speedy, and somewhat reckless, driving. He had taken you to the ER despite your pleas that the wound wasn’t serious; you had gotten it to stop bleeding for at least an hour and a half, so it couldn’t possibly be _that bad_. After Papyrus got the needed legal papers you had to sign and fill out from the woman at the front desk, he made his way back to you, handing you the small pile of papers and a blue pen. You filled out the papers, giving the hospital all the information they needed. Papyrus returned the papers to the receptionist and then the wait began. You sat in the waiting room for a decent amount of time – at least half an hour – before anyone came to get you. You’d think the hospital wouldn’t be busy at nearly 7:30 at night, but you were sorely mistaken; if anything, it was the busiest times of the day.

You had been absentmindedly watching an episode of _The Office_ playing on the television in the corner of the waiting room when you heard your name being called, prompting your attention to move elsewhere. A nurse was standing in the doorway that leads to the ER rooms, looking at a clipboard held firmly in his hands. He eventually looked up, making eye contact with you and your housemate and visibly startled, almost dropping the clipboard in the process. Luckily, he was able to catch it before it could hit the vinyl flooring and, in that short amount of time, was able to regain his composure. Some people still weren’t completely used to monsters on the surface, even after nearly four years. He gave you both a warm smile, gesturing for you to follow him with his free hand. Papyrus stood up beside you, placing the cooking magazine he had been skimming back down on the coffee table. “You don’t have to come back with me, Paps. I’m a big girl – I’m sure I can handle it myself. Besides, it shouldn’t take that long.” He faltered a bit, trying to think of something to say, but eventually relented with a sigh. 

“I KNOW – JUST MAKE SURE YOU BEHAVE AND LET THEM _ACTUALLY_ HELP YOU.” He smiled up at you, only causing a smirk to grow across your face.

“Now that you said that I’m going to do everything in my power to be an absolute menace.” He laughed, his classic “NYEH” causing you to giggle in response; it was such a cute noise. He then began to shoo you away, telling you to _“GO GET MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!”_ You snorted at him and turned around, making your way over to where the nurse was still standing. His smile was still evident on his face as he ushered you down the hallway and into an open room. 

“Okay ma’am, I’m just going to take your vital signs.” You removed your coat and made your way over to the bed, sitting down and making yourself comfortable as he went about doing his job. He took your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and anything else he needed to fill out on the little medical form. You watched as he wrote everything down on his clipboard, talking while he took down the information, “Thank you for your co-operation, ma’am; the doctor should be with you in just a moment.” 

You thanked him and watched as he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. It took about fifteen or so minutes until the physician finally came in, holding the same clipboard that the nurse was carrying in her hands. As soon as she saw you, she flashed you a bright smile as she made her way over to you, beginning to take a look at your injured shoulder. 

“Okay, so it says here that you have a laceration on your left shoulder, correct?” You nodded and removed the gauze Papyrus had so kindly wrapped around your wound. She studied the injury further, the action causing a heavy feeling to settle in your gut. Luckily, the unease all went away when she smiled softly and said, “Well, good news – the wound isn’t serious; it’s actually a fairly shallow cut. All you’ll need is some liquid sutures and you’ll be as good as new!” 

She walked over to the sink, washing her hands before putting on a pair of disposable gloves and making her way back to you. Gently, she cleaned your wound with warm water, disinfecting the cut and the area around it before grabbing the liquid adhesive. She pinched the pieces of skin back together, putting the glue in the canyon between. While the wound was drying, she was giving you the instructions you needed to follow so you didn’t manage to accidentally reopen the cut.

“You do not need to put any kind of ointment on the wound – it will only make the adhesive weaker and more likely to fall off sooner than it needs to.” She stood up to grab something and made her way back over to you, a large bandage in her hand. She placed it over your closed wound, continuing to speak, “You are not allowed to get the cut wet for the next 24 hours, but once that time is up you are allowed to take showers normally; just make sure you gently dry off the cut – the water and unnecessary force can also remove the glue quicker than needed.” She stood up and you parroted her actions, grabbing your coat and following her back out to the waiting room. 

“After the next 24 hours, disinfect the area around the cut before you put on a new bandage; try to do this at least two times a day, and replace the bandage if it gets wet or dirty.” By the time she was finished, you had made it back to the waiting room. She smiled at you and wished you well, telling you that you could come back if any problems were to arise. Papyrus spotted you and made his way over, catching the attention of the doctor.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING CARE OF MY COMPANION HERE – SHE REFUSED TO GET THE CARE SHE NEEDED BUT I, HER AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL FRIEND, WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE HER.” She laughed at his statement, causing your face to flush in embarrassment; he was making you sound like a stubborn child which, sadly, wasn’t totally untrue. The two talked for a little bit, during which the doctor told Papyrus everything you needed to do to make sure the cut healed properly. By the time everything was over, it was only 8:20. You and Papyrus made it back to his convertible, buckling up while he started the car.

“SINCE YOU WERE SUCH A GOOD PATIENT, HOW DOES SOME NICE CREAM SOUND?” Your eyes had probably lit up as soon as he said that, causing him to chuckle a bit.

“Dude, Nice Cream sounds _great_ right about now.” And with that, you two were off to the nearest store to pick up all of your favorite flavors. Though, it turned out that the nearest supermarket was _your_ supermarket – you know, the place where you worked. Papyrus parked his car and assisted you out, making sure you didn’t overwork your shoulder. Once inside you were greeted by your manager Travis who gave Papyrus a warm welcome but looked at you with a confused expression.

“What happened to you? You look even worse than you did when I sent you home!” He told you, his voice a mixture of worry and amusement. 

“Wow, thanks Travis – I appreciate that.” You two talked for a bit while Papyrus ran back to grab some containers of Nice Cream. You had asked him if he could grab some flavors that he thought the new additions would like; he ended up giving you a little salute, saying, “DO NOT WORRY – I WILL MAKE SURE TO GET EVERY FLAVOR THEY HAVE!” Once he left it was just you and Travis bullshitting by the bread aisle. 

“Wait, wait, wait… so, you got home to find out your housemates’ cousins are going to be staying with you now, then – during that whole fiasco – managed to cut your arm on a random loose nail that was sticking out of the wall?” He asked, voice laced with skepticism. You realized how farfetched that sounded, but it’s not like you could tell him, _‘Oh, well Sans somehow brought six versions of himself and his brother to our universe, four of which tried to kill me, and it ended up with me needing liquid sutures.’_ All that would do is bring authorities into this whole mess and make things even more complicated than they already were.

“Yeah; my life sounds like a bad reality-drama my grandmother would have probably watched back in the day.” He laughed at your statement, causing you to laugh along with him. Though, once a few seconds had passed, he became a bit more serious than he had been before your joke. 

“How bad is your shoulder? You can always take medical leave; I wouldn’t hold it against you if you’d like to take a few days off until your shoulder, you know, _doesn’t_ have the likelihood of ripping open again. If you need more time, you still have five days you can be absent unexcused, and six vacation days still available.” God, Travis was a lifesaver – probably one of the best managers you’ve ever had. While you didn’t like taking days off of work, since you _did_ need the money, it would probably be the best in this case. Not only would it help the healing process of your wound, but it would also give you some time to know the new skeletons!

“Travis, are you really sure that it’s okay?” You asked him. All he did was give you a warm smile, telling you, “Well of course, anything for one of the best employees in the branch.” 

A few minutes passed while you the two of you talked, waiting for Papyrus to return with the tubs of Nice Cream. You looked behind Travis when your eye caught movement, causing you to immediately burst out laughing, doubling over as Papyrus made his way up – _every single flavor_ of Nice Cream that the store carried stacked up in his arms. Travis joined in with your laughter while Papyrus trotted up to where you two were standing. He decided to take a place beside Travis, bone brows furrowed in confusion, “WHAT? I TOLD YOU I WAS PLANNING ON GETTING EVERY FLAVOR!” 

You felt awful for the poor cashier who had to check you out – there ended up being 21 different flavors that Papyrus had picked up. The total price of everything nearly gave you a heart attack – over $100.00 worth of Nice Cream. You knew it would barely leave a dent in the brothers’ finances, but it still made it feel like you had just eaten four cheeseburgers, three large fries, and a chocolate milkshake – you know, like shit. You reached out to pick up some bags but Papyrus refused to let you do anything, saying, “YOUR ARM NEEDS TO HEAL! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CARRY THIS – IT’S TOO HEAVY!”

With a sigh, you said goodbye to Travis and made your way back out to the car while Papyrus shoved the 21 containers of Nice Cream into the trunk. He jumped into the driver’s seat, beginning the journey up the mountain. 

The ride was quiet, but not in an awkward way – it was peaceful as you let the breeze from your open widow throw your hair around like autumn leaves. You hoped the house was still standing – it would kind of suck not having a place to live now that there would be nine of you total living there. Your thoughts were interrupted by Papyrus as he called out your name. You moved around to face him, turning your back to the window.

“Yeah, Pap, what’s up?” You asked. He seemed to be thinking about what to say, taking a few seconds to get his thoughts put together.

“ARE YOU… ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE OKAY WITH THEM STAYING WITH US? I WOULDN’T BLAME YOU IF YOU WEREN’T – MORE THAN HALF OF THEM DID ATTACK YOU, AFTER ALL.” He asked, his voice a little weak. It was kind of surprising to hear this from Papyrus of all people – the skeleton who saw good in everyone, no matter how _bad_ they really were.

“Papyrus, it’s not like we can just throw them out on the street... I know they don’t act like it, but they’re still you and your brother – I couldn’t do that to them. Besides, I’d like to give them a second chance. They were probably scared and confused, especially when _I_ showed up; I don’t think they trust humans very much in the first place, rightfully so.” You paused before continuing, “So, I’m completely fine with them staying. If anything, I’m kind of excited – change can be scary, but it’s also a good thing.” 

“YOU… YOU’RE RIGHT. JUST TELL ME OR SANS IF ANYTHING HAPPENS; WE DIDN’T MEAN FOR YOU TO GET DRUG INTO ALL OF THIS.” As you made it up past a small hill, the house came into view and – oh thank God it was still standing. 

As Papyrus pressed one of the buttons on his instrument panel to open the garage door, Sans burst out from the house – sweat dripping down his skull. As soon as the car was stopped, you jumped out and ran over to him, asking in a fit of hysteria, “What’s the matter? Is everything alright? Oh God please don’t tell me they killed each other I don’t think I could handle – OOF!” The breath was knocked out of you as Sans let nearly all of his weight fall on top of you, luckily on the opposite side of your injury. 

“nah, everythin’s fine… I’m just real tired.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes slightly and huff, pushing him off you. You made sure to give his skull a light, affectionate pat before releasing him, though; you didn’t want Sans to think you were mad at him or something. Well, you still kind of _were_ , but it wasn’t as bad as when he brought a bunch of skeletons from alternate universes, most of which tried to kill you, into your house.

“Well, Paps decided to buy every flavor of Nice Cream the supermarket had, so I was thinking we could have a little Nice Cream social – get to know each other a little better. Plus, it would give you some quality nap time now that Papyrus and I are here to make sure they don’t get into any trouble.” You told him with a smile.

“OH, THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA! BROTHER, HELP ME WITH THESE BAGS!” Sans just let out a small sigh, begrudgingly going to grab some of the bags from the trunk. You smiled at the two from afar, laughing as Sans told Papyrus, “I know how to chill out,” while holding one of the tubs. You watched as the two continued to do what they do best: tell puns and freak out at said puns. 

You sighed, reaching up to rub your shoulder only to stop before you could make contact. Ugh, this was going to be a bit harder than you thought it would be. You made your way to the door that connected the garage and the main house, entering and letting the cinnamon-scented air wash over you. You began to take your coat off, trying your best not to rub your cut too much. As you hung it up on the coat rack and removed your shoes, placing them by the door, you made your way into the living room… only to freeze as six sets of eyelights made their way to you.

“Oh, uh… are you guys interested in some Nice Cream?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, sorry about _two_ boring chapters in a row... I wanted to make this a double upload but, sadly, I have to go back to college on Monday and won't have the time to finish up chapter 5,, Though, when I do get it done, you're going to be having a Nice Cream Social with the skelegang! 
> 
> Also, I apologize if anything about the hospital visit is weird or inaccurate. I've never been to the emergency room before or needed sutures (unlike my brother...), so I hope it at least seems believable; I tried to do as much research about it as I could. 
> 
> Oh, and If you have any suggestions for chapter ideas/tropes/etc., I would love to hear them! I'm also going to need names for the boys to be put as in the Reader's phone. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking around and reading my little fanfiction. ♥


	5. Nice Cream Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a Nice Cream party with the new arrivals! Though, you didn't think it would be _this_ awkward...
> 
> \---
> 
> **Warnings for this Chapter:** _None!_

“Oh, uh… are you guys interested in some Nice Cream?” You asked, voice sounding weaker than usual. You wouldn’t say you were scared of these skeletons, but _man_ , were some of them intimidating as hell. You found that Rus didn’t even have to lift a finger – he just had an aura about him that made you uneasy, and Red’s glare certainly wasn’t helping to stop the sweat from rolling down the back of your neck.

“what ‘da hell is _‘nice cream’_?” Red asked, looking at you questioningly from across the room while making quotation marks with his boney fingers.

“Uh, you know… Nice Cream? The frozen treat that warms your heart?” You were met with silence and skeptical looks from the edgier skeletons, so you continued, “It’s pretty much just magic ice cream; instead of telling you a joke, though, it tells you something nice! It’s really good, especially when you’re feeling a bit down.”

“THAT’S A WONDERFUL IDEA, HUMAN! NICE CREAM SOUNDS GREAT RIGHT NOW!” Blue exclaimed as he made his way over to you, reaching out to try to hold one of your hands in his own; of course, he decided to go for the hand on your _injured_ arm. You flinched away from him slightly, taking a small step back and placing a hand in front of yourself, stopping Blue in his tracks. Stretch stood up from the recliner as soon as you placed your hand on his brother; you could feel his glare boring into your soul. You know, you were getting _really_ sick and tired of feeling as though everyone was going to attack you in your own house. 

“Sorry Blue, but I just got my arm fixed up and I’d rather not bleed all over the place again.” You gave him a patient smile, letting your outstretched arm fall back to your side.

“OH STARS, I AM SO SORRY! IT COMPLETELY SLIPPED MY MIND!” He was fretting now, his expression looking apologetic. You couldn’t help but smile – it’s nice to have someone not treat you like you’re going to kill them any second, or try to kill you in turn. 

“It’s okay – I know you didn’t mean to. Just try and warn me if you want to hold hands, alright? I’ve got no problem with it as long as I get a warning... _beforehand_.” Blue deflated slightly at your pun as Red snickered behind him, the latter of whom getting elbowed in the side by Edge. Eventually, he nodded enthusiastically, saying in the same tone of voice you've gotten used to from Papyrus over the years, “OF COURSE I WILL; THAT IS WHAT GOOD FRIENDS DO AFTERALL!”

He continued to speak as he made his way around you, heading towards the garage, "WELL, I'M GOING TO GO GIVE A _HAND_ TO THE OTHER ME AND PAPY! MWEH HEHE!" He laughed at his little pun, getting a _"good one, bro"_ from Stretch before entering the other room. That was so sweet of him to help out since you were now pretty much out of commission. Wow, he’s only been here for a few hours and has already pulled more weight than Sans usually did on an average day.

While smiling as he walked away, you realized you almost forgot about the hostile skeletons that you just turned your back towards… you had no self-preservation in your entire body, did you? 

When you turned back around, Stretch was standing close to you – a bit too close for comfort, especially with that look of disdain on his face. He still had a smile, however, which made it _way_ more terrifying. He seems to be very much like Sans in that aspect – managing to make you uneasy just by giving you a look and a strained smile. 

“hey, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lay your hands on my brot–.”

“’–on my brother unless you want to have a _bad time_.’” At this point in the night, you really didn’t care about being rude. You’ve had to deal with work, plus the stress caused by the machine, being attacked by alternate versions of your housemates, and a surprise trip to the hospital; you think those are perfectly good reasons to have a shorter fuse than usual. 

Stretch seemed taken aback by your interruption, standing in front of you with his jaw clenched tightly, hands balled into fists at his side – he was still smiling, however, even if it was somehow more forced than before. You sighed, sidestepping him to make your way to the kitchen to get everything ready for the Nice Cream social – you know, syrups of all kinds, marshmallows, sprinkles – the works. You continued to speak as you walked, however, “I know, I know – Sans told me that for an entire year before he even _thought_ about letting me be in a room alone with Papyrus.”

You didn’t even bother to wait for a response or stay around long enough to see his reaction. All you wanted was to have a nice bowl of Nice Cream, even if the sun had set nearly an hour ago. You weren't sure what the time even was exactly; everything had kind of merged together into one big blur. You didn't care about consuming this much sugar before bed – it's not like you had to wake up early tomorrow anyway. You just really needed something to help calm your nerves, and the thought of having a nice time with friends – well, pretty much just Sans, Papyrus, and Blue – sounded very appealing in your current predicament. Though, as you stepped into the kitchen, you began to feel a headache start to form… it was an absolute disaster. 

The ceramic tile was torn up in multiple places from where the bones had exited the ground from the earlier attack – you didn’t even remember noticing any of this before you left. Well, it was understandable to not have fully been paying attention to the flooring – you were kind of high on adrenaline and couldn’t focus much on anything besides surviving and ripping Sans a new one.

You know what, you’d deal with this later; you had time due to your medical leave to get everything fixed. Until then, though, you’d simply ignore the problem – you had a feeling that simply ignoring your problems, specifically the five certain skeletons living in your home that seemed to always give you a hard time, would have to be the most likely route needed to take if you wanted to keep your sanity. 

You made your way around the kitchen, grabbing chocolate, caramel, and strawberry syrup from the fridge, marshmallows and chocolate chips from the cupboards, and a nice can of whipped cream – this was going to be one of the most awesome ice cream parties of all time. Though, trying to get all of the needed items with one fully functioning arm was a bit difficult. You especially found difficulty in getting enough bowls down for everyone without accidentally dropping them and creating a bigger mess than there already was. So, there you were, standing on your tippy-toes while trying to grab a whole stack of bowls, your tongue sticking out of your mouth in concentration when, suddenly, they began to float. 

You couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped past your lips. Yes, you know that Sans, and Papyrus to some degree, can levitate objects; it was super cool when you first started living here. Well, who are you kidding, it _still_ is super cool. Though, you hadn’t heard either of them come in – you know Sans would have probably poked fun at your suffering, and Papyrus was very loud most of the time; he was even loud when he walked for Pete's sake! So you turned around, ready to throw hands if need be. It really wouldn't surprise you if they tried to kill you with your back turned; you had a feeling that ethics and morals weren't their strong suits. 

“oh, uhh… sorry ‘bout that…. looked like you, uh, needed a hand.” Rus was standing there, his left eyelight glowing a soft, rustic orange as he placed the stack of bowls on the dining room table along with the other miscellaneous objects you had managed to collect on your own. Well, that was certainly unexpected – a pleasant surprise, though; you _definitely_ weren’t going to complain about this. 

“Oh, t-thanks Rus! I appreciate the help a lot – thank you!” You gave him the warmest, most sincere smile you could muster. You almost felt like crying – seeing one of the skeletons who tried to kill you not even six hours ago _not_ looking like he would go into a murderous rage at the drop of a pin was a change of events you weren’t going to take for granted. Rus didn’t say anything in return, only placing his hand on the back of his neck and adverting his eyes to look anywhere but at you. Huh, you didn’t realize how far away he was either – he was treating you as if you were a rabid caged animal.

“huh, that’s, uh… somethin’… we do this?” He asked, pointing to the places where the multiple bone attacks had risen from the ground, broken shards of ceramic scattering the surrounding area. You felt the urge to be sarcastic with him, like, _‘no, those were always here – every surface house has multiple holes in the floor!’_ , but you knew he didn’t deserve that. He was the only one, besides Blue, who hadn’t been rude to you directly – yes, he was the one who _technically_ attacked you and had been giving you a look that made you want to turn tail and run, but he hadn’t said anything particularly cruel to your face. Behind you back you weren’t sure, but maybe the constant resting-bitch-face was just genetic – you, alas, also suffered from the curse. That’s why you usually smiled whenever you could; you know how unapproachable you look when your face is relaxed.

“Umm, yeah… they’re from the, uh, attacks from earlier... I’m going to try and get it all fixed up during my medical leave since I’m probably going to be bored out of my mind for the next week.” You set your attention on arranging the table when Sans, Papyrus, and Blue entered to place the multiple jugs of ice cream on the oaken surface. 

“___, YOU WILL NOT BE DOING ANY HOUSEWORK WHILE ON MEDICAL LEAVE – YOU NEED TO REST IF YOU WANT TO GET BETTER!” Papyrus scolded, placing both of his fists on his hips like he usually did when treating you like a child.

“YES, HUMAN – I AGREE WITH PAPYRUS HERE! YOU’LL NEVER GET BETTER IF YOU PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD!” Blue was also standing there with his hands on his hips. You felt yourself snort without meaning to – they just looked so similar; even their facial expressions were the same! You covered your mouth with the back of your hand as they continued to scold you, watching from the corner of your eye Sans made his way towards you.

“yeah, starlight, I think you should listen to ‘em – you’re not gonna heal up any faster by doing manual labor,” Sans said as he made his way to stand beside you, purposely putting himself between you and Rus in case the situation arose.

“Okay, okay, geez! Fine, I won’t replace the tile… but I am going to clean up the shards before someone gets hurt. I’ll do that as soon as we eat our Nice Cream!” You had a feeling Papyrus was going to scold you again until his eyelights moved to look over your shoulder, watching the remaining skeletons finally arrive to the party. You turned around to see that only three of the skeletons were there, those being Red, Edge, and Black; you didn’t see Stretch anywhere. Though, when you turned to look back at Blue and Papyrus, there he was, just standing right next to his brother, hands resting in his sweatshirt’s pocket. 

Huh, he probably had the ability to teleport like Sans. Wasn’t he a Papyrus, though? Ugh, you’d have to ask them eventually about the universes they came from. Now wasn’t the time, however – it was Nice Cream time!

“Awesome! Since everyone is here now, go ahead and grab your favorite flavor and add whatever you’d like to it. I think we all need something to… _cool down_ , wouldn’t you say?” You heard a few sudden snorts and chuckles, your eyes glancing around to see Sans with a shit-eating grin while Red, Stretch, and Rus were trying to hide their slight smirks. Well, you supposed you had found the more punny brothers. You watched with slight amusement as the rest of the skeletons' faces contorted in either annoyance, disdain, or just plain old disappointment. 

“THAT WASN’T EVEN THAT CLEVER! YOU PUT NO EFFORT INTO THAT PUN!” Edge exclaimed as he waved his gloved hand in the air, waiting from his position in the kitchen doorway. Red was standing next to him, and Black had moved to stand next to his brother by the refrigerator. All you could think was, _'why aren't they coming to get some Nice Cream?'_

“I know, I know – it certainly wasn’t my most clever pun. I’m not very good at them sadly, but I do try to keep Sans on his toes every now and then he decides to start up a pun-war.” You chuckled slightly, turning your body around to face the four brothers who were refusing to get anywhere near you. You continued to speak, keeping a small smile on your face while you asked, “Do you want me to move? I understand if you’re wary of humans. I wouldn’t blame you – my kind _did_ trap yours under Mt. Ebott for centuries.”

They didn’t answer, but you felt as though their silence was a loud enough one. You walked around the table and over to your favorite Nice Cream flavor, grabbing the whole jug and taking the lid off before haphazardly throwing it back on the table – it read _'Don't give up! The storm will pass soon!'_... you were hoping that was the case.

You added anything and everything else you wanted in your late-night treat before grabbing a spoon and making your way to the back exit. You carried the Nice Cream in the crook of your injured arm, using your fully-functional one to open the door. Before you stepped outside, you turned around and flashed everyone a smile.

“You can eat whatever flavor you’d like – I wouldn’t put eating all of it by myself past me if I were you, so eat as much as you’d like. I’m going to be out here if anyone needs me!” You gave them a quick smile before letting the door close behind you as you left the room, leaving behind an entire hoard of conflicted and confused skeletons. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yahoo! Another chapter after months of nothing!
> 
> Sorry about that everyone; losing the motivation to write is awful;; I'm going to try and update all of my stories at least once a month, but don't hold me to that - I did say that I would update my stories every week, and we see how that turned out lol
> 
> There should only be two or three more chapters of set-up before we start getting into some bonding moments between the Reader and her boys. I want the relationship growth between the Reader and the skeletons, _especially_ those from harsher timelines, to feel realistic and not rushed. I mean, if I came from a world where it literally was "kill or be killed", I'd have trust issues, too.
> 
> Also, if you ever think anything in my chapters could be potentially triggering, don't be afraid to tell me! Nothing really bothers me when it comes to writing/reading, but I know for some people certain topics can bring up very bad memories; I want to make sure everyone stays safe when reading my stories! Thank you for sticking around to read my story! <3


	6. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your long day, all you wanted was to _at least_ be able to sleep past 10:00 a.m.; sadly, that hope doesn't come to fruition.  
> \---
> 
> **Warnings for this Chapter** : _Decriptions of Food, Mention of Vomit._

It was a beautiful night out. Now that the sun had set, the sky was an inky black with a slight blue haze towards the horizon. Living away from civilization did have its perks sometimes – yes, driving down the mountain in the snow was absolute hell, but at least you got a beautiful view of the sky at all times of the day. You were sitting on the wooden steps, the jug of Nice Cream resting in your lap while you tried to ignore the cold as it seeped through your work slacks. Ugh, you completely forgot how disgusting you looked.

You felt you face heat up in embarrassment despite the chill of the night breeze and the coldness radiating from your lap. You looked like a hot mess, and certainly not the _hot_ you would want to look like. You’re _really_ hoping that they don’t think of you as some kind of gross, sweaty human. Yes, the brothers could sweat as well, but their sweat was _magic_ – it’s not like it left any stains or odor behind unlike that of a humans'.

As you continued to stuff your face with ice cream, sulking in self-pity, you didn’t notice the sound of the door creaking open. You jumped slightly when a figure sat next to you, placing a jacket over your shoulders. You turned to see Sans, carrying a bowl of the Nice Cream of his choosing. “thought you’d be a bit cold since, ya’ know…” He gestured vaguely at you – he was probably referring to the slight night breeze, the ice cream in your lap, and the fact that you still only had on your unflattering tank top. 

“Thanks, Sans – you’re a lifesaver sometimes…” He gave you a smile, his cheekbones rising and causing his sockets to squint just a little. You continued to speak, however, a smirk beginning to form on your lips, “…even if you managed to fuck up the entire multiverse.”

Just like that, his smile was gone as he started to stand up, being extra dramatic in hopes of getting you to laugh – it worked.

“wow starlight, that hurts… your heart is as cold as _ice_.” He gestured to the bowl in your lap, trying to fight a smile. 

You could tell from his eyelights that he knew the current situation wasn’t the most ideal. He didn’t know exactly what the repercussions would be for having multiple versions of him and his brother in one universe, but he had a feeling it probably wouldn’t be that great. He just wanted to have a normal moment amid the chaos before he’d have to start trying to get the machine to work once more. Though this time instead of bringing more skeletons here, he had to somehow manage to send them back to the _exact time and universe_ they were dragged out of….

You both knew the likelihood of that happening was very low.

“So, how are the new housemates doing?” You asked, placing the tub of Nice Cream to the side so you could pull Sans’ hoodie further around yourself, balling up to keep some of your warmth from seeping out. 

“they’re, uh… fine? paps and blue are trying to keep the atmosphere light, but I don’t think it’s working too well.” You watched as he sat back down, placing his skull in the palms of both hands, slouching into himself much like you were doing. He looked exhausted… you had a feeling you didn’t look any better yourself.

“We’ve seen much better days, huh?” You joked, turning your attention back to the sky.

He snorted, “yeah – not the best we’ve ever looked.” He followed your actions as you both stared at the vast universe beyond the world you knew, enjoying the peace for as long as you could. 

“Well,” you started, “we’ve both looked worse – we’ll get through this… I know we will.” You placed your hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze and giving him the most optimistic smile you could manage. He mirrored your sentiment, placing his boney hand on top of yours and giving a reassuring squeeze in return. “heh, I don’t know what we’d do without ya.” He told you sincerely. Sans, once you got passed the overprotective brother layer and his love of horrible humor, he was actually a very soft guy; he’s a very sentimental and thoughtful monster. You broke the eye contact so you could side-eye the backdoor. You’d have to go back in eventually and, even though you wanted to put it off for a little longer, you were _freezing_ out here even with Sans’ jacket. 

“Ugh… I need to take a shower – I feel so _gross_.” You told Sans as you stood up, starting to remove his jacket to return it to him. He just shook his head and held his hand out to push the hoodie back into your arms.

“nah, keep it. just, uh, make sure you wash it before givin’ it back. don’t want your human sweat and whatnot.” He joked, beginning to walk towards the door.

“Ouch, Sans… you know how to hit me where it hurts, huh?” The two of you talked for a bit as you made your way across the kitchen, entering a surprisingly empty living room. Papyrus, Blue, and Stretch were the only ones in there – Stretch making himself at home once again on the recliner while Papyrus and Blue were talking about puzzles with each other on the couch.

“OH, ___ – I’M GLAD MY BROTHER DECIDED TO GO AND KEEP YOU COMPANY – YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT DRESSED FOR THIS KIND OF WEATHER!” Papyrus chided, standing up and making his way over to you, grabbing the zipper on Sans’ hoodie and zipping it up to your chin. The action kind of reminded you of when your mom would help you get dressed in the winter, all so you could go and play in the snow without her having to worry about her child getting frostbite.

“Yeah… I probably should have at least put a decent shirt on, huh?” You asked sheepishly, trying to hide in the hoodie similar to that of a turtle hiding in its shell.

“YES, YOU SHOULD HAVE! BUT… You Didn’t Have The Time Due To Recent Circumstances – SO YOU GET A PASS THIS TIME!” Papyrus said, lowering his voice so none of the new arrivals could hear him refer to them as _‘circumstances.’_

“Thanks for worrying, Papyrus – I’m sure I’ll be fine after I get a shower and a good night’s sleep.” You weren’t lying as you told him this – yes, you still might be physically exhausted for a while, but hopefully, your nightly routine would help bring some normality into your life and help your depleted emotional and mental wellbeing. 

You gave him and Sans a quick hug, apologizing for smelling like you just ran an entire marathon. You made your way past the couch, waving to Blue and giving a curt nod to Stretch, wishing both of them a good night. Blue didn’t do anything wrong, but he would definingly notice if you treated his brother differently than him, so you were just going to play nice for the time being. 

You made your way up the staircase, listening to the light _click-click_ your shoed feet made against the wood below you. The stairs creaked under your weight as you walked, not helping the suffocating feeling that was all around the house. You wearily eyed the hallway as you made your way to the landing, knowing full well that the more murderous of the bunch were in their respective rooms. You didn’t know who had which room, but that didn’t really matter when they all want to kill you to some degree – hell, even Stretch probably wants to! 

You were as quiet as you could be, making your way to the small set of stairs at the end of the hallway that led up to the attic. You’d think living in the attic would be stuffy and hot, but it actually wasn’t that bad. It was one of the bigger rooms in the house and, while you did love the brothers, you also loved having your own sanctuary to go to when you weren’t feeling like yourself.

As soon as you were in your room you had to fight the urge just to fall asleep then and there. No, you need to get cleaned up – you don’t need blood, sweat, and dirt on your clean sheets. 

You removed your shoes at the door and walked over to your closet, tossing them into the unorganized mess that it was; you would need to clean it up eventually. Luckily(?) you’ll have plenty of time to do that starting tomorrow. You then made your way to your dresser to grab a clean pair of underwear as well as your pajamas; they consisted of a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt Sans bought from Walmart on a whim. It had the symbols for iron, lead, and zinc holding instruments with the words _“Heavy Metal”_ written underneath – a loving science pun shirt from a pun-loving skeleton with an affinity for said science. 

Once you had everything gathered up, you made your way back down to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind you quietly. You placed your clothes next to the sink, everything folded nicely, before walking over to sit on the edge of the tub. You reached out to turn the knob on, stopping only to remember the cut on your shoulder… you weren’t allowed to get it wet for at least 24 hours. 

“Well, a bath is better than nothing I guess.” So, with your plans changed, you began to run yourself a nice bubble bath – you deserved it at this point. You peeled your disgusting clothes off of yourself and tossed them into the corner of the room to be taken care of later; you made sure to fold Sans’ hoodie, though. Once the water was done running you slid yourself in, sighing at the warm water as it enveloped your body. You kept your shoulder out of the water though, mindful of your injury; opening it back up and bleeding everywhere again was not on your to-do list.

You just laid there for a while, getting out only when you were afraid you’d pass out in the tub and drown. You put your comfy clean clothes on and reached over to grab your brush in an attempt to get the knots out from your matted hair. After that you brushed your teeth, making sure your mouth didn’t taste like your favorite flavor of ice cream anymore. You grabbed your dirty clothes from the corner and opened the bathroom closet, tossing them into the hamper. Sans and Papyrus never used the bathroom a whole lot, since they really didn’t need to, so it was pretty much your space entirely. You weren’t complaining about it, though. 

Leaving the bathroom and turning off the light behind you, you made your way back up to your room, pausing at the door as you stepped inside. After a few moments of thought, you decided to lock the door behind you. You did this for the first year or two when you first started living here but stopped when you realized that the brothers wouldn’t do anything like that… and Sans can teleport, so a locked door isn’t an obstacle even if he wanted to get in. 

You really hoped that the new skeletons wouldn’t teleport into your room while you’re sleeping or something. You weren’t even going to entertain that thought – you were way too tired for thinking. You made your way to your bed, slipping under the covers and turning the lamp off on the nightstand you always find yourself bashing your foot off of. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out like a light.

\---

You woke up to yelling in the morning, doing everything in your power to try and block out the noise and failing each time. Your bleary eyes drifted over to your alarm clock that read 9:16 a.m. and you sighed, kicking the covers off yourself and sliding your feet into your house slippers. You’d have to leave your room eventually, so why not get it over now? Plus, you couldn’t go back to sleep if you tried. You made your way out of the room and down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to see that Red, Stretch, and Rus had turned their attention towards you. You said your curt “good morning” before asking, pointing your thumb in the direction of the kitchen, “…do I even want to go in there?”

“nah, probably not,” Red answered, turning his attention back to the room where all the commotion was coming from. You could hear Blue arguing with Edge over their cooking abilities while Black was bragging about how he was the superior chef, causing even more chaos. You could hear Papyrus chipping in every now and again, but he was surprisingly drowned out by the others – you could already feel the headache forming. 

You needed breakfast, and you weren’t going to let your new housemates stop you from performing your typical morning ritual. So, after hyping yourself up, you began to walk into the kitchen. You heard Red mutter behind you, “…why’d the hell ya’ ask if you’re goin’ to do it anyway.”

Once your feet hit the cold tile is when the smell of burnt everything filled your senses. You had never seen Papyrus look this tired before, his usual smile completely gone. Sans was also in the room, bonking his head lightly on the granite counter; instead of his usual blue hoodie was one with a skeletal design on it that you had gotten for him as a joke. Blue and Edge were arguing about who’s food was better while their dishes lied scorched behind them – oh god, you couldn’t do this again. You went through it once with Papyrus’ spaghetti, you did not want to do round two. You eyed the burnt lasagna and macaroni dishes, causing you to want to lay down and die right then and there. You watched as Black finished up his dish; it was penne pasta and, unlike the other twos’, it actually looked edible. Though, you had no clue why these skeletons thought pasta was a good meal for breakfast.

“Morning, Sans. So, uh… what did I miss?” You made your way to your usual seat and sat down, causing Sans to turn his head to the side to look at you. 

“just a lot of smoke and yelling – that’s pretty much it. guessing you couldn’t sleep then, huh?” You nodded, guessing that’s probably why the other brothers were awake; they couldn’t get any shut-eye(socket) because of the constant bickering.

“I CAN ASSURE YOU, _PIPSWEAK_ , THAT MY DISH IS BETTER THAN YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT MACARONI.” Edge scoffed, gesturing to Blue’s burnt macaroni-and-cheese dish.

"HAVE YOU EVEN _LOOKED_ AT YOUR LASAGNA!? IT’S COMPLETELY BLACK!” Blue yelled back, mirroring Edge’s gesture. Yikes, and you didn’t think anything could look worse than the macaroni. 

“WHY DON’T YOU ASK THE HUMAN, THEN? SHE IS RIGHT THERE, AFTER ALL.” Black said as he stood next to two plates of penne pasta with what looked like alfredo sauce drizzled on top. Blue and Edge looked at you and you felt your heart sink… you couldn’t have your stomach pumped anymore – you don’t think you could even survive eating their food at the same time. 

“Wow, Black, what a great idea.” You said through clenched teeth, only causing him to smirk even wider.

“OH, I KNOW IT IS. THANK YOU, THOUGH.” Black sat down at the table and Rus appeared next to him out of thin air; you’d think you’d be used to the whole teleporting thing, but, even after all these years, still left you flabbergasted – sometimes you still couldn’t believe that magic _actually_ exists. As soon as Rus was sitting, they both started eating the pasta, giving off an aura that you could only describe as “classy.”

“DEAR FRIEND, PLEASE TELL THIS – THIS _BONEHEAD_ THAT MY MACARONI IS BETTER THAN HIS LASAGNA,” Blue said as he… Oh no, he was giving you puppy dog eyes.

“NO, THE HUMAN WILL EAT MY LASAGNA AND IT WILL BE UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY HAVE EVER TASTED!” Edge exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. Well, you couldn’t argue with that – it certainly looked like something unlike anything you had ever seen. 

“…You know what? Sure. Why not? You only live once, right?” You could see everyone’s reaction to your choice: Black nearly choked on his food from across the room, Rus had stopped eating for a moment, Sans was sweating beside you and you could faintly hear him mutter _“yeah and this is probably what’s gonna end up kill ya’,”_ all while Papyrus was nervously wringing his hands together.

“___, ARE YOU SURE? DON’T REMEMBER HOW MANY TIMES YOU GOT SICK WHEN YOU ATE MY SPAGHETTI?” 

“Oh, I remember Pap – _very vividly_ , actually.” You died a little bit inside as you thought about all the emergency trips to the hospital. You continued, jokingly saying, “If I die, I’ll just come back as a ghost and mess with all of you – ghost pranks and whatnot.” No one reacted to your joke, adding to your growing anxiety. Did they really think this was going to kill you? Why did you agree to this??

“GOOD. YOU CAN HAVE THE HONOR OF TRYING MY LASAGNA FIRST.” While you were joking about dying, Edge had already plated a piece of lasagna for you to try. He placed it in front of you, as well as a fork so you could eat it, and stepped back – waiting for you to make your move. You sniffed the attempt an edible meal and felt your face scrunch up at the smell that wafted off of it.

“Did… did you put vinegar in this?? Vinegar doesn’t go in lasagna!” You exclaimed, seemingly drawing the attention of Red and Stretch from the living room as they were now standing in the walkway, Stretch was grinning like a kid on Christmas while Red looked like a mixture between nervous and looking like he wanted to double over laughing.

“JUST EAT IT! IT’S ABOUT TASTE, NOT SMELL!” Edge yelled back as he gestured towards the quote-unquote _‘food.’_ Your gaze drifted back over to where Red was standing in the doorway; he was adorning a shit-eating grin, making his way in your direction.

As he passed by you, he muttered, “least it ain’t me.” 

From Edge’s expression, it seemed like if you didn’t eat his dish _right now_ , he would probably force-feed it to you – that option sounded even worse than eating it of your own free will. Steeling yourself, you grabbed the fork and plunged it into the lasagna. You brought the fork up to your mouth and ate the piece on it, doing everything in your power to not puke.

As soon as the food hit your tongue, you leaned forward and spit it out onto the plate. Was it gross and rude to do so? Yes, it was, but you _refused_ to allow that enter your body.

“Dude, I seriously can’t eat this – I can’t even fake liking it!” You yelled, gesturing towards the meal. You could see Red begin to sweat and his smile slowly vanish as his brother stared you down, his face unsettlingly blank. That didn’t stop you from talking, though, even if it should have, “I know that digestion is a bit different for monsters than it is for humans, but I really don’t want to end up in the hospital for a second time this week because of you… _again_. How about you, I don’t know, don’t overcook the noodles, drown the sauce in vinegar, and then set the whole thing on fire.”

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LASAGNA?! MY LASAGNA IS GREAT – ASK SANS!” He pointed at Red and you turned to look at the sweating skeleton. Ah, so he did what your Sans did as well – you know, lying to their brother about how bad their food truly is.

“Have you ever even tried other peoples’ lasagna? Because I can assure you it doesn’t taste like this.” Before Edge could have the chance to jump over the counter to strangle you, Blue had pushed away the plate lasagna and placed a bowl of macaroni in front of you. It was burnt, yes, but at least it didn’t smell like poison.

“I’M SURE YOU WILL LIKE MY DISH MUCH MORE, MY DEAR HUMAN FRIEND! I DON’T PUT VINEGAR IN ANYTHING THAT DOESN’T REQUIRE IT!” You didn’t even bother taking any time to think about your poor life decisions before taking a bite from Blue’s dish. Was it as bad as the lasagna? No, thank the stars above. Was it good? No, it was not.

“Blue, why is it sweet??” You asked, swallowing the food in your mouth – at least his was edible to some degree, even if it tasted slightly like charcoal. 

“BECAUSE OF THE SUGAR AND HONEY – MY BROTHER LOVES SWEET FOODS, SO I MADE MY FAMOUS DISH A BIT MORE SUGARY!” Okay, the reasoning behind this abomination in a bowl was very sweet but still.

“Okay, Blue, you get points for me actually being able to eat it,” You watched as Blue went to brag to Edge about him winning their little argument but, before he could, you continued speaking, “but macaroni and cheese should not be sweet, or at least not _this_ sweet. It’s very nice of you to think about your brother, but most people don’t like their mac and cheese to taste like a dessert.”

He deflated a bit on that one and you could just feel Stretch watching you – someone needed to be honest to them. Yeah, honesty hurts sometimes, but it will help them improve so they can be better in the future.

“How about I show you two how to properly make these dishes – my mother was a very good cook when it came to pasta, so I’m sure I picked up at least some of her talent. I can even get out the old family recipes!” You weren’t tired anymore after the horrendous experience you just went through – you were very queasy, however, since you never actually got to eat anything besides one bite of dessert mac and cheese. Blue seemed very receptive to your suggestion, his eyes taking the shape of stars as he spoke.

“OH, WE SHOULD COOK TOGETHER! A BONDING EXERCISE FOR ALL OF US!” Blue seemed very happy and, eventually, the feeling of Stretch’s unsettling gaze left you. Edge, however, was not as thrilled about your suggestion.

“I REFUSE TO COOK WITH THE LIKES OF YOU, HUMAN – YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T KNOW WHAT GOOD FOOD TASTES LIKE AND I WILL NOT GRACE YOU WITH MY TOP-TIER CULINARY SKILLS!” 

“Okay, you don’t have to. Just if you want, we’ll be in here making… uh, breakfast, I think?” You wanted to say something about pasta not being something you normally eat for breakfast, but you’d lay that on them later. Edge scoffed and made his way out of the kitchen, yelling behind him, “SANS! WHEN I GET BACK HERE, MY LASAGNA BETTER BE EATEN!”

“Yikes, tough break man.” Red only glared as you smirked at him – now that the tables are turned, he doesn’t find the situation as amusing. 

“WELL, THAT WAS SOMETHING!” Papyrus exclaimed suddenly, causing you to double-over in laughter; you weren’t expecting him to say that, especially in that cheery tone, and it completely caught you off guard. Sans eventually joined you as well, making fun of your horrible life choices – you couldn’t help but agree with him. Black came over to you, not close or anything, but he was in your general proximity.

“I WAS… NOT AWARE THEY WOULD TAKE MY SUGGESTION SERIOUSLY. I APOLOGIZE THAT YOU HAD TO EAT THAT… _‘FOOD’._ ” His face scrunched up as he said food – a look of distaste gracing his features. You wondered if he was a better cook than the other two – god, you really hoped that was the case; it would be nice to have a few decent cooks in this house. His brother seemed perfectly content eating his penne pasta, after all. He certainly didn’t look like Red does now, glaring at the pan of lasagna sitting in front of him at the table.

“Yeah, I know. Papyrus here couldn’t make a good batch of spaghetti to save his life a few years ago.” You paused slightly before continuing, “Well… he still can’t, but that’s beside the point! He found that he was a good cook when it came to anything besides pasta! He makes killer pancakes, though – we’ll need to actually have a normal breakfast so Paps here can show off his skills.”

“___, YOU’RE TOO KIND!” One of Papyrus’ hands was covering his face as he made an _‘oh, you~’_ motion with his other hand. You couldn’t help but smile at that – you loved giving him genuine compliments. The first time you ever did he freaked out and started talking about some kind of dating manual he had at the time. He had to break it to you, though, that he didn’t like you in that manner – you had managed to get turned down without even confessing anything!

“It’s the truth, Paps – you’re a breakfast god!” After smiling one last time at Papyrus, you turned around to face Blue and asked, “So, you ready to make mac and cheese the ___ way?”

“YES PLEASE! OH, THIS WILL BE A GREAT BONDING MOMENT TO HELP STRENGTHEN OUR FRIENDSHIP!”

His enthusiasm was contagious and, before you knew it, you were excited to cook macaroni and cheese at 9:35 in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was originally going to be two chapters, but I thought that an entire chapter about the Reader getting ready for bed would _definitely_ be boring - I like writing details about everyday tasks. Lol
> 
> We're going to start going into more character-related territory from this point on so prepare yourself for some fluff! Plus some angst, drama, and a _very slow_ burn because I love that shit. So expect more character development for all the skeles, little hints about the Reader and her backstory, as well as some supporting characters because the Reader does have friends outside of Sans and Papyrus - you know, the works! I've got a few things written down and planned out, but I usually just write whatever feels right at that exact moment (I don't even have a set ending for anything, tbh;;), so I apologize if the pacing seems weird at times. 
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading my fanfiction! I've really been in the mood to work on this one specifically, so I'm hoping to try to get a chapter out at least every month - college permitting, of course.
> 
> Also, if you find anything triggering in any of my chapters, please tell me! I don't really get triggered by anything, so I'm just kind of guessing what could be potentially triggering for some people. Thank you all for your support! <3


	7. Baking Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Blue try cooking together, but that ultimately fails.  
> \---  
>  **Warnings for this Chapter:** _Descriptions of Food, Feelings of Anxiety, Brief Look into the Reader's History._

Cooking with Blue was, surprisingly, very nice – you remember how draining it was to teach Papyrus how to properly prepare an edible meal. Though, while it was a much more enjoyable experience than your previous one, Blue didn’t seem to be improving at all. It seemed that no matter what ingredients he put in it, the macaroni and cheese still ended up being sweet – it was kind of impressive in a way. 

He and Papyrus were also very different in another aspect; while nothing ever slowed Papyrus down, Blue, on the other hand, was very easily discouraged, “IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE! I’M DOING EVERYTHING YOU TOLD ME TO DO!” Blue exclaimed frustratingly, grasping at the sides of his skull as you nibbled on the most recent batch of pasta. He had stopped burning the dish thankfully, but it still tasted like you were eating dessert and not a cheesy concoction of pasta and cheddar.

“Well, you did stop burning it – that’s an improvement!” You told him encouragingly, trying to stay positive so he wouldn’t give up on trying to get better. You don’t think he would, he did seem to be quite the determined individual, but you would probably quit too after all the pans of pasta that you both had made. Stretch was sitting at the kitchen table, leaning backward in his chair on the brink of a food coma – that’s probably what you would look like, too, if you ate as many carbs as he had.

Blue just gave you a poker face, a pure look of _‘wow, thanks’_ plastered on his face – you fought off the urge to chuckle however since, at the moment, he probably wouldn’t like you laughing at how blank his expression was. 

“yeah, bro, listen to the human here – she knows what she’s talkin’ about,” Stretch told his brother as he sat up for a moment, giving his brother a tired thumbs-up and smile before letting his head go back to hanging off of the back of the chair. Huh, it felt surprisingly good when Stretch agreed with you. It gave you a bit of hope that, maybe one day, you might have a chance of having a possible friendship with him. Well, now wasn’t time to be getting ahead of yourself – you had a cooking session to teach, and you think you had a perfect idea. 

“Hey Blue,” You started, successfully getting his attention back on you after he sent his brother that _'wow, thanks' look._ As you continued to speak the smile on your face only continued to grow, “have you ever tried baking? You said your brother here likes sweet foods, and everything you touch makes it taste like the dish was _meant_ to be a dessert – I have a feeling you’d be a natural!”

“HUH,” Blue started, placing his fingers under his chin as he thought, “I… DON’T THINK I HAVE, ACTUALLY. I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME COOKING WITH ALPHYS, AND SHE WASN’T TOO FOND OF SWEETS.”

“Would you like to try and make something then? Oh, hold on a sec–…” You stood up and made your way to where Papyrus kept all of his cookbooks, grabbing the small one your mother had put together before you moved out. You opened the book, flipping through its pages as you looked for what you thought would be a good dessert to start off with. Blue made his way over to you, looking over your shoulder as you tried to find the recipe you had in mind – you even managed to get Stretch’s attention as he got up from his chair and made his way to where you and Blue stood. You were sticking your tongue out in concentration when, finally, the page you wanted was right in front of you. You visibly brightened, your eyes becoming just a bit livelier.

“Aha! I finally found it!” You exclaimed, turning around and showing them the recipe you had a feeling they would like. 

“CHEESECAKE?” Blue asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Yep! It’s a really delicious and easy dessert to make, so I thought it would be a good one for us to start out with. Plus, it has ‘cheese’ in the name, so it kinda fits with the theme you have going on.” You looked up, awaiting an answer from your baking apprentice with a belated breath. After a moment or two of pondering, Blue eventually mirrored your smile – you both were a bit giddy now, but you didn’t know if it was from excitement or from all of the sugary macaroni you ingested.

“SURE, LET’S TRY IT!” He exclaimed with a grin that seemed almost too big, gently grabbing your hand on the arm that wasn’t injured before pulling you along to go and gather the necessary ingredients.

After some assistance from Stretch, since neither you nor Blue could reach the taller shelves in the kitchen, all of the needed ingredients were laid out nicely in front of you. There were graham crackers and butter to make the crust as well what you needed for the pie filling – cream cheese (not the cheddar Blue wanted to use), eggs, sugar, vanilla, and some sea salt. After washing your hands, you began to work on the crust.

“Okay, so graham cracker crusts are super easy to make. All you have to do is crush them up,” You emptied the crackers into a larger Ziplock bag, making sure it was properly sealed before going to town on the poor cookies – it was actually quite therapeutic to just _punch_ something. Blue copied what you did, crushing his bag of graham crackers but with less hostility than you were. 

“geez, buddy, what did those cookies do to you?” Stretch joked with you from across the kitchen, a lollipop he had pulled out of his pocket hanging from his mouth. He was giving you a crooked smile even though there were beads of sweat on his forehead. You furrowed your brows; you didn’t think it was that hot in here. He only started doing that when you began punching the crackers and... that’s when it clicked – he was scared of you. That was the reason behind why he had been so defensive and hostile – it didn’t excuse his behavior, since you didn’t do anything to make him doubt your character in the first place, but it did make a lot of sense. Sans was intimidated by you at first, too, all because you were a human.

“They were saying my baking skills were mediocre – I wasn’t going to let them disrespect me in front of my new disciple!” You were trying to act as dramatic as humanly possible, doing your best to remember everything you had learned from watching your friends practice during drama club. You were trying to push your embarrassment down all in the hope that it would be enough to make Stretch laugh and, hopefully, find you at least a little less threatening. You could hear him snort slightly, bringing his hand up to his mouth to hide the slight smirk he made at your own expense; you were going to count that as a success. 

“DO NOT FEAR, DEAR FRIEND – I DO NOT THINK YOU’RE BAKING SKILLS ARE MEDIOCRE AT ALL!” Blue assured you, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder while the other gave you a gloved thumbs-up. 

“Thank you for the compliment, Blue – I really do appreciate it.” You weren’t lying as you told him this. You always hoped that people saw you as a competent person; after what had happened a few years back, you were barely able to function as a human being, let alone an adult. It was nice to see how far you had come from that low point in your life and, at that moment, you felt a spark of determination alight itself inside of you. You clapped your hands together and began to talk about the next step in the recipe, “Now all we need is some melted butter!”

Once the butter was melted and was thoroughly mixed in with the graham cracker crumbs, you showed Blue how to push the mixture into a pie pan, making sure that it was moist enough to stick together properly. Once that was done, Blue put it in the oven for you since he didn’t want you to accidentally burn yourself. He said that Papyrus had talked about your little ankle incident, and it had made him nervous since you seemed to be so accident-prone. You couldn’t disagree with that, to be honest; you were kind of an uncoordinated mess a lot of the time. Once the crust was done, Blue took it out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove to cool while you both worked on the filling.

“Okay, so we start off with the cream cheese and eggs – make sure you don’t overbeat them, though, as it can change the texture of the pie and cause it to crack.” Blue did exactly as you said, nearly perfectly, before you helped add the sugar, vanilla extract, and a small pinch of salt into the mixture. You then grabbed the pie crust and poured the filling inside, Blue once again putting it into the oven for you. Now it was just time to wait.

While the pie finished up baking, and then subsequently cooling off, it was time to chill it in the fridge. You were quite proud of the end result – it looked exactly like something you’d see in a high-quality restaurant. Both you and Blue wanted to just dig into it, but you forced yourself to allow it to chill properly so it would taste how it was supposed to. 

“Alright, that should be ready to eat by dinner time – I can’t wait for everyone to try it! I think we did a pretty banger job, Blue.” You told him in earnest, looking up at the clock to see it was almost noon – wow, it took _that_ long to make a cheesecake? Really? Time was a weird thing.

“can’t wait – it looked pretty good,” Stretch said as he came over to lean against the countertop, hands in his pockets as he moved the lollipop stick side-to-side in his mouth. 

“Well of course it did! I had the amazing Blue here helping me, after all.” You turned your head to watch as Blue’s face slowly began to become, well, blue as he processed what you had said. For a moment you were confused until you remembered how Papyrus acted when you told him a genuine compliment for the first time and – _oh god did Blue have a dating manual too??_ You couldn’t handle being rejected by someone you never even confessed to for a second time. 

“I mean, friends watch each other’s backs, right? I’m sure I would have burnt myself or dropped it knowing my luck if you didn’t help me out.” You made sure to emphasize the word _‘friends’_ , hoping that would convey that you were, indeed, not in love with him. 

Blue cleared his throat after a moment before saying, “W-WELL OF COURSE! TRUE FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM!” He continued talking for a moment while Stretch continued to nod along and agree with whatever Blue was saying. At some point, however, you zoned out. Your eyes had drifted up to the clock that read 11:54 a.m., then to that _giant hole in the floor you had somehow forgotten about??_ Well, it was a very eventful morning and… wait, what day was it again?

“Hey, uh, not to interrupt, but what day of the week it is?” You asked as you started to feel the sweat forming on the back of your neck. The brothers just looked at you quizzingly at your sudden mood shift.

“OH, TODAY IS SATURDAY!” That’s all you needed to hear before you were on your way back to your room, trying not to break out into a full sprint as you ran up the stairs. Luckily, you didn’t see any of the other skeletons _(cough, cough, Papyrus)_ , so now was a perfect time to make your move.

Once in your room, you locked the door behind you and made your way over to your closet to grab your barista uniform from its hanger. Once fully dressed and your nametag put into its designated place, you quickly fixed your hair and threw on some perfume before grabbing your purse and making your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth. After that was done, you made your way down the stairs and reached for the front door but, as soon as your hand touched the metal knob, a loud voice rang out from behind you from its location on the stairs.

“___! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING!? YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD TAKE TIME OFF OF WORK!” You were caught red-handed by Papyrus who was making his way towards you, a look of disbelief on his face. His loud voice had caused most of the skeletons, excluding Red, Edge, and Rus, to make their way to the living area. Poor Sans was startled awake from his afternoon nap, falling to the ground with a quiet _‘oof.’_

“No, I promised you I would take time off for my full-time job – this one is my part-time one! It’s not like it’s that physically demanding, Papyrus, all I do is make coffee and confectionaries. Plus, I _may_ have forgotten to call Delilah and you know how she gets when you’re late….” You were trying to make up excuse after excuse, but none seemed to be working as Papyrus continued to look at you with his scrutinizing gaze – it felt like the look that a parent would give their kid after they came home past curfew. Eventually, you sighed and made your final plea, talking in a hushed whisper, “…I can’t afford to take time off of _both_ jobs, Papyrus. I have my car payment, rent, plus my savings for college. I promise I’ll be careful – I’ll even ask for less time, but I can’t just _not_ work.” 

Though, it seemed like you didn't talk quietly enough as Black began to speak.

“WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT MONEY? BY THE LOOKS OF THIS PLACE,” Black interjected as he gestured to the entirety of the house, “IT APPEARS AS THOUGH YOUR FRIENDS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY TO SPARE.”

You felt your face begin to flush – did you really seem like someone who would just mooch off of their friends? You didn’t want to be like that, at least not again, so you spoke before Papyrus had the chance to answer him, “I don’t _want_ them to help me – it doesn’t feel right for them to waste their money on me, especially when they never got to experience half of the things on the Surface when they were Underground. Plus, I need to be able to survive on my own… I can’t rely on them for the rest of my life.”

It was a bit awkward after that statement. Poor Blue looked so confused as he glanced around the room; Stretch was nearly the same since, just a half-an-hour ago, you were baking with them and having a really good time. Papyrus seemed almost guilty, most likely for making a big deal out of the situation in the first place; you know he was only looking out for you and a part of you appreciated his concern, but you were an adult that didn't need people telling her what she can and cannot do. Sans had gotten up off of the floor at this point, a nervous smile on his face as his gaze darted between you and his brother. Then there was Black who was just looking at you, expression unimpressed and questioning. Yikes, maybe you should have just bolted before Papyrus made it all the way down the stairs. 

You had no clue what to say after your little outburst, so you simply uttered an _“I’ll see you at dinner”_ before turning on your heel and leaving to head to your job. You felt bad leaving the atmosphere like that since it seemed so light earlier when you were baking, but it seemed that what Black said struck a chord in you and brought up a lot of not-so-nice feelings. With a sigh, you opened your car door and sat down and, after starting the engine, began your journey down the mountain.

…

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE, YOUNG LADY!" Your boss shouted at you as you removed your windbreaker to hang it up in the employee break room, showing off your bandaged shoulder that the t-shirt couldn't fully cover. She continued to speak as she made her way over to you, gesturing to your injury with one hand, "Just look at your poor arm! You should not have come in today, missy."

You really should have seen this coming. Delilah was your boss that was nearly thirty years your senior, currently being in her mid to late fifties, as well as someone who acted like an overprotective mother most of the time; she and Papyrus were similar in many ways, and that just happened to be one of them. She had hired you just when you were getting back on your feet; she said you had an aura of someone who could persevere through anything and would have loved someone like that working for her. Luckily for you, the café was mostly empty since the lunch rush had already come and gone by the time you got there. Sadly, that meant that no one got the honor of seeing a grown woman being scolded like a child by her boss.

“Delilah, it’s not that bad I promise! I just can’t strain myself and, well, this job isn’t very physically demanding.” It felt like Déjà vu – her and Papyrus were too much alike sometimes, much to your chagrin in this situation. 

“Hon', you know your body won’t get any better unless you rest!" She said as she made her way behind the counter, grabbing something before walking back over to where you were standing near the break room, continuing to speak in her booming voice, "Here – take these and go home right this instant. They’re on the house, so don't think about trying to pay for 'em, either!”

She suddenly forced two paper bags filled to the brim with pastries and confectionaries into your arms, saying in her usual demanding tone, “Now get your butt home and relax for once in your life! You're allowed to come back as soon as you don’t have to worry about that cut opening up again, missy.”

You knew you definitely couldn’t win this one so, with resignation, you sighed and grabbed your windbreaker from off the coathanger, uttering out an, “I’ll see you in a week, then – I should be better by next Saturday.” Before you left you could have sworn you heard her say something along the lines of _'don't even think about coming in early'_ before you made your way back to your car. With your head bowed in disappointment you opened the driver side door and placed the bags of sweets on the passenger seat. Once you were buckled in you pulled out your phone, dialing a number that you wanted to call before the start of the week.

You needed to make an appointment about the kitchen floor before you completely forgot about it; you felt as though you had to do _something_ of high importance today – this would be it you supposed. Tuesday was the date that was eventually set for when the floor would be fixed, pulling up the calendar app and writing it down in your phone as a reminder. Then, after that, you just aimlessly drove around the city, trying to buy as much time as possible. You didn’t want to go back after making such a scene – there was a part of you that wanted to call Josh and ask if you could crash at his place tonight, but ultimately decided against it. You needed to face your problems head-on, not just push them onto the future you. 

When the sun began to set and the sky started to get dark is when you finally decided to head back home. Time seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye and, before you knew it, you were parked out in front of the lodge. You were resting your head on the steering wheel as you listened to the slight rumble of the engine, trying to think of something to say; a joke, something stupid – you’d take anything at this point to make things lighter. Though, you were startled out of your daydreaming by a light _tap-tap_ on your window.

Stretch was standing outside of the car, one hand in his hoodie pocket while the other seemed to be ready to go back to tap the glass again if need be. It seemed you had both been startled by the other as Stretch, too, seemed to jump a bit when you turned to look up at him. After a few moments of awkward eye contact, you quietly sighed to yourself before finally turning the car off and grabbing your purse and the bags of pastries. When you opened the door, you were met with the chilly March air, the sudden blast of cold causing you to regret leaving the warmth of your car. You stood up and closed the door behind you. You could almost feel the awkwardness around you as you both stood near the hood of the car, waiting for the other person to make a move. After a few beats, you decided you would make the first move and try to lighten the mood a bit.

“Heh, sorry about earlier – it was a bit of an overreaction on my part. I didn’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable.” You reached back to sheepishly rub the back of your neck, the coldness of your hands soothing against your suddenly hot skin – embarrassment was such an awful emotion to feel. 

“hey if you, uh, don’t mind me askin’… why did what Black say bother you? I didn’t think it was anythin’ too bad.” Stretch asked you, genuinely curious. You thought about what to say, mulling over the words again and again in your head; you swore if you listened closely enough, you could hear the gears and cogs in your brain turning. It took a lot longer than you thought it did as Stretch eventually added, “don’t gotta’ force yourself – none of my business, really.”

“No, I’ll answer it. I’m just trying to… figure out how to word it.” After another moment you began to speak again, talking slowly as to make sure you didn’t say anything too personal – you’d only known him for a day, now wasn’t the time to dump your emotional baggage on him when he was _literally pulled out of his own universe._

“Umm, before I started living here with Sans and Paps, I was… bumming off of a good friend of mine. He always said he didn’t mind me living with him, but it still felt awful that I couldn’t contribute anything. That’s why I eventually got my two jobs – I wanted to repay him for everything he had done for me. Plus, at some point, I needed to grow up and stop relying on him so much…. I was just a bit upset that Black thought of me as someone who needed a free handout is all.” 

Stretch just hummed at your response, seeming at a loss of what to say himself. You broke the silence again, asking while trying to sound like the previous conversation had never even happened, “So, what’s for dinner?”

“oh, uh... Papyrus made your favorite – wanted me to come get you since you were just… sitting out here in your car.”

“Ugh, I probably looked like such a weirdo just sitting in my car and not doing anything for a good five minutes.” You smiled, getting ready to act like nothing had happened before you left. You continued speaking, voice light, “No wonder you looked like you were ready to either fight me or run away – my beating of the graham crackers earlier probably didn’t help my cause either.” Once again, he didn’t say anything, he just continued to stare at the ground as you both made your way to the front door.

“Oh, here – I know you like sweets, so I think you’d like these,” You handed him both of the bags Delilah had given to you which he took with a bit of hesitation mixed with confusion. You continued, “My boss gave them to me as a little _‘get well soon’_ present, I guess... I can’t eat that many pastries, so I thought I would just share it with all of you as my own _‘welcome to the neighborhood’_ gift.”

He snorted at that little quip, an action that made you smile in return. He looked at you before saying, “well, uh, thanks – appreciate it.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do to try and make you all feel a little more welcome here.” You were on the porch at this point, so you reached out to open the door. As soon as you were inside you told Stretch, “I’ll be down in a moment,” before making your way upstairs in a hurried pace. 

You made your way to your room, wanting to put on something on that wasn’t your uniform _or_ your pajamas. In the end, you settled for a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt that said, _‘I found this humerus’_ with an image of said bone underneath. You had an entire wardrobe full of just shirts with puns on them from the years of living with Sans; not that you were complaining – they’re great if you want to make people groan and huff at just how horrible they are. 

After a few deep breathing exercises to help calm your nerves, you made your way downstairs and, after stalling for a moment in the living room, made it to the kitchen. You poked your head around the corner and peeked in, seeing Papyrus, Black, and Blue with their respective brothers – Red and Edge nowhere to be seen. Papyrus and Black were still by the stove finishing up dinner while Sans was sitting at his usual spot at the counter, lying with his head on the granite as he kicked his feet back-and-forth since his legs weren’t long enough to touch the floor. Blue, Stretch, and Rus were at the kitchen table, Rus seeming to sit as far away from the other two as he possibly could without falling off of his chair. You eventually steeled yourself and slipped into the kitchen, taking a seat next to Sans at the counter. You weren’t expecting him to comment on your arrival so quickly. 

“how was work?” It was a harmless enough question, but there was a slight undertone that didn’t make it feel harmless in the slightest. While you and Sans were very close, he and his brother were even closer – you probably hurt Papyrus’ feelings, and his big brother most likely didn’t appreciate that. He probably wanted you to say to Papyrus that he was right and that you should have just called in instead of going to the café and expecting to work. You would apologize to Papyrus later under your own terms in private; right now wasn’t the time.

“Eh, Delilah told me to come home and rest since she doesn’t want my cut opening back up and getting blood all over the place – major health code violation right there. So, she just ended up giving me some pastries and confectionaries to share with you guys.” You were sweating slightly at the feeling Sans’ scrutinizing stare coming from your left; you were pointedly trying to ignore him for the most part, keeping your gaze on Papyrus who was still by the stove.

“OH, ___! I’M GLAD TO SEE YOU MADE IT HOME SAFELY!” Papyrus said as he folded up his apron, placing it in the drawer where he usually keeps it. Stars, bless Papyrus’ soul. You need to apologize to him, probably to everyone actually, but you’d wait until dinner was done. Papyrus made your favorite thing to eat in the entire world and you were absolutely starving – some sickly-sweet macaroni and cheese certainly didn’t hit the spot earlier. 

Both you and Sans made your way over to the kitchen table, sitting down with everyone like some big, weird family. Wait, were they all technically family? Does that work with alternate versions of you and your brother? You eventually take a seat next to Blue who seemed happy to see you back in a fairly good mood, not picking up on the guilt that slowly gnawed at your gut. Papyrus served everyone while Black just grabbed a plate for him and his brother, sitting the farthest away from the group. 

“Thanks for this, Papyrus – you’re an actual lifesaver.” You said, happy to finally get the chance to eat real food. As soon as the food hit your tongue, you knew something was a bit different than usual. It didn’t taste the way that Papyrus usually made it – it somehow tasted even _better._

“Dude, this is so good! This is the best food I’ve ever had, I swear.” You said sincerely, continuing to eat as you savored the flavor of your favorite meal.

“BLACK HELPED ME TONIGHT WITH DINNER AND MADE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO MY USUAL RECIPE – I’M GLAD YOU LIKE IT!” Papyrus said with a smile. Saying you liked it was an understatement; if you could marry a food dish, this would be the one you’d put a ring on.

“Black, this is really good! I didn’t think Papyrus’ version could get any better, but whatever you did was amazing – you get a full five stars from me.” It seemed your sincerity caught him off guard – it looked like he was having trouble processing what you just said, let alone how to respond. 

“AH, YES… THANK YOU. I DIDN’T DO MUCH – JUST CHANGED A BIT HERE AND THERE.” What is with these skeletons and not being able to process praise? You guess you just need to drown them all in genuine compliments until they’re able to take them without trying to either 1. trying to refute the kind words or 2. completely shut down from it. You’re completely fine with that; you love giving compliments!

“Well, if that’s you _‘not doing much’_ , then I’d love to see you when you’re doing way _too_ much.” You turned your attention back to your food while everyone ate in relative peaceful silence. It wasn’t awkward or heavy – it was just nice. Soon everyone was done and Papyrus had gathered up all of the dirty dishes. That’s when you remembered about the dessert you had made with Blue, and Stretch if you count him getting the ingredients neither of you could reach.

“Oh, Blue and I made some cheesecake for everyone! I mean, what’s dinner without dessert, right?” You got up from your seat made your way to the fridge, Blue hot on your heels. Both of you were excited to see how it turned out – hoping it was at _least_ as good as the dinner was. After cutting the pie into ten separate slices and plating seven of the ten pieces, you and Blue passed them out to everyone before sitting back in your seats with your own respective pieces of cheesecake. You both waited with a belated breath as everyone took their first bite.

“bro, this is really good – you two did a great job,” Stretch said after taking his first bite, immediately going in for a second after he was done speaking.

“YES! I COULDN’T AGREE WITH STRETCH MORE – YOU TWO ARE WONDERFUL BAKERS!” Papyrus cheerfully said, every word genuine. You and Blue grinned wider, if that was even possible, considering it looked like your smiles were going to fly right off of your faces.

“yeah – this is great, you two. could eat this every day if I could.” Sans said, sending you both a relaxed smile and a simple thumbs up. 

“YES… IT DOESN’T TASTE HORRIBLE – MY ONLY CRITICISM IS THAT IT A BIT TOO SWEET, BUT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN PREFERENCES, I SUPPOSE.” Black told you, examining another piece of the cheesecake on his fork. Well, it was a compliment(?) and you were going to take it – even the criticism wasn’t too harsh, something of which you were very grateful for. 

“s’good… I like it.” Rus muttered quietly, but still loud enough that you could hear, as he ate the cheesecake, his gaze never moving from the piece of pie on his plate. It was so strange – he came off as such an intimidating individual when you first met, but now you can see he isn’t as hostile as you would have thought. You weren't complaining, though – Edge alone was enough to deal with, and you appreciated everyone else at least trying to be civil.

Well, 4/5 good or great reviews were good enough in your book. Now it was time for you and Blue to actually get to have a taste of your hard work. You picked up your fork and cut off a piece of the cheesecake, lifting it to your mouth and taking a bite. A burst of flavor exploded on your taste buds and you found yourself smiling at its deliciousness. The crust was moist yet solid, not breaking apart when you cut into it, and the filling was creamy and the perfect balance of sweetness in your eyes – it was probably the best piece of cheesecake you have ever had.

“Wow, you guys weren’t lying – this _is_ really good! We should definingly bake together more often Blue if this is how all of our dishes might turn out.” You turned to give him a cheeky grin. 

“I AGREE – WE MAKE A GREAT BAKING TEAM!” He agreed with excitement, staring at you with stars in his eyes. This was nice, everyone getting along fairly well. All except for Edge and Red, though, who you haven’t seen since this morning. They seemed to be having the most difficulty trying to adjust to the current circumstances… maybe you can figure out which rooms are theirs and make a little visit, even if it is only to drop off their portions of dinner.

As everyone began to get ready to disperse and head back to their respective rooms, you decided to stop them to apologize, “I’m sorry for earlier; I know kind of made things a bit awkward before I left. I just wanted to apologize for my little outburst, especially to you Black since what you asked _was_ a reasonable question – I know you weren’t trying to be rude.”

“DO NOT FRET, I TOOK NO OFFENCE TO YOUR ANSWER… BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE APOLOGY. HAVE A GOOD REST OF YOUR EVENING.” Black said coolly before making his way back upstairs. Rus was following behind his brother, a bit confused since he wasn’t there earlier to see the whole fiasco. Though, he turned around with a short and sweet, “g’night,” before also heading back to his room. Eventually Blue and Stretch left as well, leaving just you, Sans, and Papyrus in the kitchen. You looked towards Sans, hoping to convey what you were thinking through just eye contact alone. Luckily, he got the hint.

“well, I’m gonna head upstairs. you kids have fun.” And with that, he was gone in the blink of an eye. You wanted to scold him for using his ability to teleport up one flight of stairs but, if you had that power to just blip anywhere you wanted, you would definitely abuse the hell out of it.

“Hey, uh, Paps… before you head out, do you think we can talk for a bit?” You asked him, trying to remain nonchalant.

“OF COURSE, ___! IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?” He asked, looking suddenly worried as you made your way over to where he stood. You just shook your head with a smile.

“No, everything’s good, Paps – nothing to worry about… I just really wanted to apologize to you one-on-one – I probably upset you before I left, and then I didn’t even stay to make-up properly. I know you’re just looking out for me, and I really do appreciate it.” You told him sincerely with a small smile to help ease his nerves.

Papyrus sighs before saying, “I APOLOGIZE AS WELL; YOU’RE A GROWN ADULT WHO CAN MAKE HER OWN DECISIONS!” He paused for a split-second before continuing, “…SANS AND I JUST WORRY ABOUT YOU AND WANT YOU TO TAKE SOME TIME OFF TO ACTUALLY REST – ESPECIALLY AFTER THE WHOLE MACHINE INCIDENT.”

“Yeah… I think it was pretty stressful for all of us. Everyone is doing a fairly good job at adjusting, though.” You thought, going through all of the new arrivals in your head: Blue and Stretch, Black and Rus, Red and– wait… Red and Edge seemed to be the ones taking this the worst. You saw Red this morning in the living room, but he disappeared after you went off on his brother for trying to feed you his inedible lasagna. If he’s anything like your Sans, he probably didn’t take kindly to your criticism, even if your heart was in the right place – you remember how pissed Sans was when you told Papyrus the truth the first month you started living together.

“Oh, speaking of the new arrivals, which rooms did Red and Edge choose? I want to bring them some dinner since they never came down.” You asked Papyrus, thinking about what you’d say to the two more hostile skeletons in the house; you needed to pick your words carefully so you didn't accidentally strike a nerve.

“OH! EDGE’S ROOM IS TO THE RIGHT OF THE BATHROOM, AND RED’S IS TO THE RIGHT OF EDGE’S,” Papyrus told you. He continued, eyeing you wearily, “DO YOU WANT ME TO COME WITH YOU? EDGE CERTAINLY HASN’T BEEN THE NICEST OF OUR GUESTS.”

You snorted a bit, telling him with a relaxed smile, “No, I think I’ll be fine – just need to be prepared if they decide to try and skewer me.” You were hoping they wouldn’t try to do anything, but your mind couldn’t promise with 100% certainty that they wouldn’t try to kill you. Eh, it would just have to be a chance you had to take. 

Papyrus gave you a look at your little joke, but eventually sighed and said, “IF YOU SAY SO…. JUST YELL IF YOU NEED SANS OR MYSELF FOR ASSISTANCE!” He said as he made his way out of the kitchen, most likely going to his room for the night to work on puzzles. You made your way over to the cupboards and grabbed two plates, putting both the dinner and the desert on them before putting the excess food away in the fridge. You grabbed some utensils and made your way up the stairs, two plates in your hands – you felt like a waitress. 

First was Edge’s room. You stood awkwardly in front of it before lightly tapping the door with your foot since your hands were occupied at the moment. After waiting for a few seconds, you finally spoke out, “Hey, I got you and your brother some food since you weren’t at dinner, and–”

 _“GO. AWAY.”_ You stopped speaking immediately, hearing a _click_ as your jaw shut. Wow, you did _not_ like that tone in the slightest. You stepped away from the door and placed the plate on the ground, telling him before making your way next door to his brother's room, “Okay… it’s out here if you change your mind, though.”

You walked to the door next to Edge’s and knocked with your newly freed hand. You were expecting to either 1. get no response or 2. some creative way to say _'go fuck yourself'_ – you were certainly not expecting the door to fly open before you even had the chance to knock a second time. You jumped a bit as the door swung open, revealing a very pissed off looking Red.

“what the hell do ya’ want?” He snarled, the look on his face could only be described as the face of someone who was a split-second away from committing murder. It took your brain a moment to recover from the shock to be able to form a coherent sentence and answer him.

“Well, since you and your brother didn’t make it to dinner, I thought I would bring you both up a plate. I mean, what kind of host would I be if I let my guests starve?” You joked a bit, trying to lighten the mood – it didn’t work very well. You and Red just stared at each other for a good minute or two, sizing each other up, before he scoffed and snatched the plate out of your hands. You could have sworn you heard a “thanks,” but you weren’t positive and you certainly weren’t going to ask him to repeat it. 

Though, right before he shut the door, he looked you up and down and smirked slightly, saying in an almost husky tone, “nice shirt, by tha’ way.” The door closed in your face surprisingly gently, and you found yourself smiling while you looked right where Red had been standing – finally! This was the second time you wore a pun shirt in front of all the skeletons, and Red was the only one so far to comment on it. While the visit with Edge didn’t go as planned, the encounter with Red wasn’t too bad; he didn’t try to kill you at least, so it’s going down as a win in your book. 

You made your way up to your room to grab your pajamas before heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower and replace the bandages on your shoulder. Before you entered, though, you looked in front of Edge’s door to see… nothing – the plate was gone... you hoped that he actually ate it and didn’t just chuck it out the window or something. You smiled to yourself slightly and went about your nightly routine to get ready for the next day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for reading my little fanfiction; I appreciate all of the love and support this has gotten so far! ♥
> 
> I hope this chapter isn't too bad- I really liked it, but I could definitely see how the little drama aspect could be a bit OOC and turn off some readers;; Sorry if you don't like cheesecake either or if the description of making it from scratch isn't accurate- I've never actually _made_ cheesecake irl, so I just went off of a recipe I found online. Lol
> 
> Also, just as an FYI, the Reader in this story _will_ have a backstory! There were also be multiple supporting OC characters that will play a larger role in the future. Just make sure to reference the tags!


	8. Man, I Hate Mondays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did you think you could go on a nice hike with your new housemates without _something_ putting your life in danger?  
> \---  
>  **Warnings for this Chapter:** _Mentions of Death, Implied References to Suicide, Mention of Previous Injuries._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone - I just wanted to say before the chapter that I created a Tumblr blog specifically for my writing!
> 
> ♥ https://purple-plum-petals.tumblr.com/
> 
> My ask box is open at the moment [11/28/2020], and I would love to take some headcanon/scenarios/drabble requests for Undertale!

Sunday had gone by in a flash with nothing particularly interesting happening – well, you wouldn’t have known if anything did since you’ve spent the last day-and-a-half camping out in your room. Right now, you were currently lying on your bed with your arms spread out in a manner similar to that of a dead starfish. You turned your head to the side to look at the clock that rested on your nightstand; it read 12:47 p.m. It didn’t feel that early to you – it felt like it should have been at least four in the afternoon. Time was weird sometimes.

You had taken the rest of the weekend to have some alone time and recuperate after the stress of the previous couple of days. Your wound was healing up quickly, most likely due to how often you consumed magic-based food products – monster food doesn’t immediately mend wounds on a human as soon as ingested like with monsters, but it did speed up the healing process by quite a large margin. Sadly, you had another week before you could return to either of your jobs, and you had no idea how to spend an entire seven days with nothing to do.

Well, the floor was going to be fixed tomorrow which gave you something to kind of look forward to, even though that sounded like something weird to be excited about. You were lying on your bed, lost in thought about how to spend your time when a knock on your door snapped you out of your daydreaming. You waited for a second before whoever was outside the door knocked again, this time a bit louder. You sat up with a slight huff – you didn’t want to move; your bed was so much softer and warmer than it normally was. Eventually, though, you slid off the bed with as much enthusiasm as a sloth and stood up, putting your house slippers on to avoid the slight chill of the wood flooring. You glanced back at where you were lying to see a you-sized indent in the mattress…. Geez, you didn’t think you were lying there _that_ long. 

You made your way over to your door with a yawn, one hand covering your mouth while the other reached out to unlock it. Even though half of the new arrivals could just teleport into your room whenever they wanted, locking the door still brought you some form of comfort – it’s a bit similar to how, when a child is scared, they hide under the covers for protection. You grabbed and turned the knob, not particularly in a hurry as you were still shaking off your mid-day sleepiness. Once the door was open, a cool draft from downstairs made its way into your hotter-than-average bedroom, causing you to shiver at the sudden temperature change. While your room was nice during winter, it also had its downsides – living in the attic, particularly in the summer, was one filled with misery, pain, and a lot of sweat. Though, you were a bit surprised to see the particular skeleton standing before you.

Rus was leaning up against the wall, hands in his hoodie pockets while he stared at a loose nail in the floorboard near his feet; you made a mental note to fix that before you somehow managed to hurt yourself in some ridiculous manner. Though, he didn’t seem to notice you had opened the door. If anything, he appeared to be as lost in thought as you had been moments ago. After a moment of waiting to see if he’d finally realize you were standing there, you asked, “You alright?” 

Your voice startled him out of his trance-like you had expected it to – what you _didn’t_ expect, however, was for him to jump away from you. You watched in horror as one of his feet missed the next step down, causing him to lose balance as he began his decent to the floor below. You lunged forward and grabbed his hoodie in the hopes of stopping him from falling. Alas, you forgot how heavy skeleton monsters were. They didn’t weigh like your average human skeleton, oh no – they instead weighed like your _average human_ despite having no flesh or skin. You didn’t realize your mistake until it was too late. You both tumbled down the steps together, you still unconsciously holding onto the hem of his hoodie as if that would help the situation. Luckily there weren’t too many stairs up to your room, so your trip down ended fairly quickly. 

You found yourself lying face down on Rus as he lied on his back, holding his skull with one hand and quietly groaning in pain. One of your hands had its hold on his jacket while the other rested on his chest. Instead of feeling or hearing the beating of a heart, you could slightly hear what sounded like a light humming. It was a strange feeling – one that seemed to make your hand feel a bit numb, similar to the feeling of pins and needles. You let go of his hoodie to push yourself up only to end up making eye contact with the skeleton beneath you.

 _‘Oh shit,’_ you thought, _‘I’m were still lying on top of him.’_

“WHAT IS GOING ON UP H– PAPYRUS!” Both of your gazes flew to the left and down the hallway to see Black standing there, hands on his hips and a look of annoyance painted across his face.

He didn’t even give either of you a time to explain what had happened before exclaiming, sounding like a disappointed parent as he rubbed his temples, “PAPYRUS, I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU DO WITH THE HUMAN IN YOUR FREE TIME,” Your face heated up at his accusation, but you found yourself unable to talk – you were completely tongue-tied as Black continued speaking, “BUT I ASKED YOU TO GET HER SO WE COULD START THE HOUSE MEETING THE… _SOFTER_ ME INSISTED ON HAVING.” 

He paused for a moment before continuing, sparing you both one last glace, “JUST DON’T TAKE TOO LONG – IT’S STARTING IN FIVE MINUTES WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.” And with that, he turned around on his heel and left both you and Rus frozen on the spot. Why did you feel like a teen whose parents just caught them doing something inappropriate?

You turned back to see Rus who was now looking up at you, his eyelights contracted into small white dots that, if you weren’t as close as you were, probably wouldn’t be visible. He was still sprawled out across the floor, not moving in the slightest as if he was actually frozen to the spot. Why hadn’t he gotten up yet? The floor probably isn’t the most comfortable place to– oh wait, your dumbass was still lying on top of the poor guy. 

You pushed yourself off of him with a speed that even surprised you as you took a seat on one of the stairs you had just fallen down not even a full minute ago, holding your head in your hands for a moment as you muttered to yourself, “ _Oh my god_ , that was so embarrassing….” 

After a moment of trying to push down your mortification at being seen in such a compromising position and not even given the chance to set the record straight, you let your shoulders relax and your arms fall down to your sides like limp noodles. You pushed yourself up in an effort to stand, legs feeling a bit numb due to the sudden adrenaline rush. You looked down to see Rus was still lying on the floor, his hands also covering his face – you could see the dim rusty-orange glow of his cheeks through the cracks in his fingers. 

“Hey, are you alright? Sorry if I crushed you there – I really thought I would have been able to catch you.” At your words, he removed his hands off of his face and looked up at you, his eyelights slowly returning to their normal size. You gave him a meek smile, fighting the urge to blush again at the memory, and held out your hand for him to take. He eyed it for a bit, not making any move to grab it. 

You raised one eyebrow and said, grin slowly turning shit-eating, “What, did you _fall_ for me or something on the way down? I didn’t think I was that charismatic.” 

He suddenly snorted at your stupid pun, covering his mouth with one hand while you continued to stand with yours outstretched. Your smile was relaxed now that the initial embarrassment had faded. Well, it was a mixture between that and being able to say you had gotten him to laugh, even if only a little bit.

“nah, you sure it wasn’t the other way around?” He teased back, finally grabbing your hand and letting you help him up. It was easy to help him off the ground, but it wasn’t when you tried to stop him from falling down the steps – what even was gravity sometimes, you swear. You started walking towards the main staircase, Rus following by your side as you continued to joke lightly back-and-forth. It was weird to hear him talk – he had only said, like, ten words since he showed up. So, if you wanted to get Rus to talk, all you had to do was say some stupid joke; that didn’t seem too hard considering your years of expertise in the pun-field. 

Soon you were both standing at the bottom of the steps, attention moving towards the hoard of skeletons gathered in the living room. Sans and Papyrus were standing closer to the front door while Stretch was sprawled out across the recliner with Blue telling him to _“SIT PROPERLY!”_ Red and Edge were standing behind the couch, both looking as pleasant as ever, and Black was staring at you and his brother with an intense gaze. Geez, were _all_ older brothers this protective?

“well, since everyone is here,” Sans started, the smile on his skull becoming a little tighter. Rus had gone to stand next to his brother while you simply took a seat on the stairs, not wanting to get too close to Red and Edge by sitting on the couch. He continued, placing his hands in his pockets to make it seem as though he were relaxed, “Paps here has to go do some political work with the kid today, so he won’t be here.” He pointed a thumb back to his brother before continuing, “then, uh… I have to go and tell Tori and Alphys about the machine – probably the king, too. Alphys might be able to help us fix it, you know, being the royal scientist and all.” 

“WHY EXACTLY DID YOU NEED TO CALL A MEETING FOR THIS?” Edge asked, one gloved hand resting on his hipbone, his unpleasant attitude rolling off him in waves. 

“I AGREE – YOU COULD HAVE SIMPLY LEFT A NOTE.” Black agreed, crossing his arms and shifting his weight from one leg to the other. 

“just wanted to say that starlight here will be in charge for the day while we’re gone,” Sans gestured to where you were sitting on the stairs, head resting in your hands as you absent-mindedly played with your hair. He then returned his gaze back to the room full of skeletons, continuing with a slight smirk, “…and to tell you all to not be _too_ difficult.” 

“WAIT JUST A SECOND! WHY EXACTLY SHOULD I HAVE TO LISTEN TO–!” Before Edge could continue questioning the brothers’ decision to put you in charge, you cut in, effectively stopping him from going on a spiel about how he was better than you in every way, how that you were below him – yada-yada. 

“Don’t worry Sans – I’ll make sure they don’t burn the place down.” You stood up from your seat and made your way over to Sans and Papyrus, giving them both tight hugs before they went about their days. While you weren’t worried about Papyrus since he loved being the official mascot for all monsters, you were a bit worried about Sans. A part of your mind hoped that Toriel wouldn’t be too hard on him, but another part felt as though a good scolding from the queen might be in order for messing up the space-time continuum.

“hehe, yeah…” Sans said, his voice sounding a bit strained. After you broke away from the hug, he turned around and made his way to the door, opening it and saying with a wink, “well, have fun kids.” 

“NOT TOO MUCH FUN THOUGH!” Papyrus exclaimed, waving goodbye to everyone as the two disappeared beyond the homes’ threshold. You turned back around to see a good chunk of skeletons – everyone except Edge and Red – looking at you, eyelights conveying the feeling of _‘well, now what?’_

None of them had anything to do yet, no hobbies or the like, and they obviously didn’t have anyone to hang out with besides you or each other. Like, half of them didn’t even _get along_ with their alternate-universe selves and brothers while the other half dislike your entire existence due to just being a human. No one could even start working on the machine until Sans came back with an update on if they would or would not be getting any outside help. 

You really wished the brothers had told you this a bit in advance – you didn’t even have anything planned! You started brainstorming as you swayed side-to-side, trying to figure out something everyone could do while simultaneously enjoying themselves. Puzzles were probably a no-go; Sans wasn’t the biggest fan of them, so you had a feeling that at least half of the skeletons in the room felt the same way. Taking them into town also wasn’t an option since Sans didn’t exactly want anyone besides his close friends knowing he somehow found a way to travel to other universes, even if the results were less than satisfactory. Though, that’s when an idea came to mind – it felt like a lightbulb had just turned on above your head. 

“THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I DO NOT HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT A HUMAN TELLS ME TO DO – I’M CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, FOR ASGORE’S SAKE!” Edge exclaimed, closing his eye sockets with his seemingly permanent look of pure disgust on his face. It took every single fiber of your being not to roll your eyes at him. 

“Well, you don’t have to listen to what I tell you – I think Sans just meant not to start any fights or cause more property damage.” Edge scoffed, muttering something under his breath about not even being _‘THE ONE WHO CAUSED THE DAMAGE.’_ You continued though, your smile growing just a bit wider, “Besides, I have an idea of something we can do for fun,”

“OH! WHAT’S YOUR IDEA?” Blue asked, making his way over to you with a starry look in his eyes. Well, it was nice to see someone was at least a bit curious about what you had come up with.

“Well, I thought about going on a hike up the mountain!” The lazier skeletons seemed immediately turned off by the idea of physical activity, but perked up when you said, “The sky is super clear at the top, so we get an almost perfect view of the stars – weather permitting, of course. I just thought you guys might like to see the surface from a different angle, is all.” 

“THAT… DOESN’T SOUND HORRIBLE, ACTUALLY.” Black said aloud, causing your giddiness to increase; just the thought of them even considering your idea was enough to make your dopamine level skyrocket. 

“I AGREE WITH BLACK – THAT’S A GREAT IDEA, HUMAN!” Blue said excitedly, eyelights in the shape of stars. Okay, so you had Black and Blue planning on coming on the trek up the mountain and you know their respective brothers wouldn’t let them do it on their own. That just left two more skeletons and said skeletons were the two out of the bunch who just didn’t like you at all. Period. 

Everyone turned to look at the pair almost in unison; it was a bit creepy, to be honest. Well, great minds or, uh… same minds think alike, you supposed. You were waiting with a belated breath – while Edge and Red both got on your nerves and/or terrified you, that didn’t mean they deserved to be left behind at home while everyone else got to go stargazing. Eventually, though, Edge sighed and started his ascension up the stairs, dragging his brother in tow behind him by the hood of his jacket, “WE WILL BE READY IN FIVE MINUTES.” 

“Awesome!” You exclaimed, following behind the two skeletons at a safe distance, “I’m going to go get ready then – I shouldn’t take too long!” You said, making your way back up to your room to get changed. You rummaged around in your closet, pulling out a t-shirt, a draw-string hoodie, a pair of leggings, and your good old hiking boots you used once or twice a year. You made sure to zip your jacket up, hoping that it would help keep the early spring chill at bay during your trek up the mountain. After that was done, you pulled your hair back into a messy bun and grabbed the backpack you kept stored in your closet – you know, the one you hadn’t touched in years. Once the bag was secured on your back, you made your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face before heading to the kitchen to fill the pack with some snacks, water, and medical supplies if need be. Soon enough you arrived in the living room, seeing that everyone had already congregated at the front door. 

“WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? DOES IT TAKE ALL HUMANS THIS LONG TO GET READY?” Edge said, looking down at you from his position nearly two feet above than you. It wasn’t fair – he was already tall in the first place and his boots just made him even taller! Though, you do envy his ability to walk in heels of that size. 

“I only took, like…” You glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall, “seven minutes! I could have taken way longer if I wanted to, you know.”

The two of you bickered for another moment or two until Black cut in, “COULD YOU TWO STOP ACTING LIKE CHILDREN? TIME ISN’T GOING TO WAIT FOR EITHER OF YOU.” 

Your face heated up as you felt the embarrassment grow at his words for the second time today; even though you didn’t want to admit it, they were true – you were acting immature. You curbed those not-so-nice feelings before shooing everyone out the front door like one would with a clowder of cats. Before you locked up, though, you made sure to leave a note on the coffee table in the living room telling Sans and Papyrus where you were planning on taking the others. You didn’t want them to freak out at everyone’s sudden disappearance as that wouldn’t be fun for _any_ party involved. 

The air outside was getting warmer with the approach of spring, the leaves on the trees slowly coming to bloom as April grew nearer – it was still a bit chilly for your liking, but that was why you were your jacket in the first place. You made your way to the front of the group, clapping your hands together and declaring, “Well, it usually takes about two or three hours to reach the top when I go hiking with Sans and Papyrus, so we should get up there at around three or four o’clock. Luckily, the temperature and weather today are perfect for a little family outing!”

“WE ARE NOT FAMILY, HUMAN – YOU _WISH_ YOU WERE RELATED TO THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS!” Edge stated as he made his way past you, making a lot of lead way with the help of his long legs. You tried to keep up with him to direct him to where trails were, only to have him tell you he _‘KNEW THAT’_ and that he didn’t need your help. Eventually, you made it to the trail and fell back in the group, watching as Edge and Black bickered in the front over their shared status of being _Head of the Royal Guard_ with their respective brothers not far behind. You really hoped that everyone would like being able to look at the night sky and surrounding city – you know how much Sans and Papyrus always enjoyed it when they would take you up with them, so you hoped that that extended to the new arrivals as well. Though, you were specifically wishing that Edge would have a good time since you two haven’t had the best interactions up to this point. Maybe, if everything went well, he would have a higher opinion of you since it was you who came up with the great idea in the first place! 

You didn’t know why you wanted his and his brother’s acceptance so badly – no, why you wanted _all of them_ to like you; it was as if you were starving for their approval. You had never been one for being self-conscious about the number of people who liked or disliked you; you didn’t care most of the time in your younger years. Was it because they were Sans and Papyrus, at least to some degree? Maybe you wanted them to like you, even if they weren’t the ones you knew? Like, no matter what universe you were in, you would always have a connection to them in some way? While lost in thought a voice next to you suddenly said your name, effectively snapping you out of your trance.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU SEEM A BIT DISTRACTED.” Now that you were back to focusing on reality and not fretting over whether or not you may or may not have any relation to Sans and Papyrus in other universes, you turned to the side to see Blue walking next to you with a concerned expression on his face. Stretch was walking besides his brother, a similar look on his skull as well. 

“Oh, yeah – I’m okay! Just daydreaming a little bit; nothing too serious.” You could tell that they didn’t 100% believe your answer but still dropped it as if they didn’t want to force you to talk about something you obviously weren’t comfortable discussing. Though, as you continued your hike, Blue did everything he could to try and bring your mood back up to where it had been before you left the house and, well… it was working. Blue’s good vibes were just contagious, you supposed. Though, you eventually had to stop and take a short break so you could rest your legs and drink some water, something the brothers didn’t need to do. Monsters have much more stamina than humans, apparently – even _Stretch_ of all people was faring better than you were!

“Sorry you guys – I haven’t had this much exercise in _months_.” You joked, twisting the cap back onto the half-empty bottle of water and placing it back into your bag. 

“hey, don’t worry about it. not like we're in a hurry or anythin’.” Stretch said, trying to assure you that it was perfectly fine for you to take a break so you didn’t die of overexertion or dehydration. 

“SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!” Edge scoffed, continuing with a prideful aura surrounding his person, “I DON’T WANT TO JUST IDLY STAND HERE UNTIL THE HUMAN DECIDES SHE’S HAD ENOUGH REST – WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THAT COULD TAKE. I SAY WE JUST LEAVE HER HERE AND GO ON OUR WAY.”

“WHAT!? NO WAY – THE HUMAN IS THE ONE WHO HAD THE IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Blue argued back, the two getting into a little verbal squabble as you hoped one of them _(cough Edge, cough)_ wouldn’t turn to confrontation physical. Black was simply standing off to the sidelines, pinching his nasal ridge as he shook his head slightly, the disappointment and annoyance rolling off him in waves. Rus was off somewhere, having wandered away as soon as the commotion started to look at the surrounding area. Eventually, you stood up, much to the protest of your aching muscles, and placed a hand on Blue’s shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s okay Blue. I’m ready to go now anyway!” You gave him a warm smile as Edge scoffed and began walking again, Red and Black not far behind. At some point, Rus had joined you, Stretch, and Blue at the back of the pack with the taller two constantly telling each other pun after pun. Blue was purposefully ignoring the horrible jokes in favor of talking to you as you walked, you doing your absolute best not to show that your legs were on the verge of collapsing under you. Though, he seemed to notice your silent struggle, a brief look of concern replaced with a slightly devious smile.

“MY DEAREST FRIEND, DO YOU TRUST, I, THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT SANS?” He asked, a playful gleam in his eyelights. You gave him a questioning glance, a small smile adorning your own features. 

“Sure, why not? You’ve definingly been one of the more…” You glanced up to the three brothers who were walking in front of you, “… _friendly_ arrivals."

“WONDERFUL! JUST GRAB ON TO ME SO YOU DON’T FALL!” He said, your brain short-circuiting as Blue picked you up, one arm under your knees and the other resting against your back. He smiled down at you from where he was holding you in his arms bridal style, his eyelights in the shape of stars and seeming to be shining as bright as the real things. You found yourself giggling, hiding your face behind one of your hands.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this.” You started, placing one hand on his chest and the other around his shoulders for added support, “I’m not going to complain about not having to walk, though – it’s a nice surprise.”

“hey bro, could you carry me too? I’m gettin’ a little tired over here.” Stretch teased as Rus snickered beside him, both looking at where you were comfortably resting in Blue’s arms. You’ve been carried bridal-style multiple times, mostly by Papyrus since Sans very rarely put effort into anything, but you’ve never really experienced it from anyone else. While you were surprised, you certainly weren’t as mortified as you would have been in the past. 

“YOU ARE PERFECTLY FINE, BROTHER! I KNOW YOU ARE LAZY, BUT YOU ARE NOT INCAPABLE OF WALKING!” Blue chided, looking at his brother with an amused expression.

Stretch just sighed dramatically, holding the back of his hand up to his forehead before saying, “you’re killin’ me, bro. you’re killin’ your baby brother.”

As they spoke your gaze returned to the front of the group, an idea popping into your head. You got Blue’s attention, motioning him to lean down with your hand. He did as you asked, turning his head to listen as you whispered, “Hey, why don’t we show those three who the real hikers are? You know, make it into a fun little competition.”

“OH, LIKE A RACE!” He exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention towards the two of you. You both realized that everyone probably now knew of your little scheme and, not even a second later, Blue suddenly booked it past the three skeletons that had once been leading your group. It was amazing how quickly he could run while carrying an entire person and simultaneously making sure he didn’t accidentally give you whiplash or something while doing it.

“WHY YOU LITTLE–! GET BACK HERE!” Edge yelled, chasing after you as his heavy footfalls echoed in the forest around you; it appeared as though he wouldn’t let his pride be wounded in any shape or form. You turned to look past Blue’s shoulder, Edge chasing after you while the others continued their relaxed pace, all of them adorning a smile or something of a similar nature – not sure if you could call the expression on Black’s face a smile, though. Blue never slowed down once and, eventually, you made it to the rest area right before you reached the peak of the mountain.

“YES – WE WON!” Blue exclaimed, setting you down gently before you both gave each other an enthusiastic high-five. Your heart was racing strangely enough even though you didn’t run at all during the entire race – apparently just seeing Blue do all of that running without stopping was enough; sympathy exhaustion, if that was even a thing. Edge soon joined you two, only a second or two behind, before leaning forward to place his hands on his knees. 

“ONLY BECAUSE YOU CHEATED!” Edge exclaimed, pointing at both you and Blue with an annoyed look on his face. Strangely enough, it wasn’t as unpleasant as his usual annoyed expression was.

“It was fun though, right?” You asked, your smile growing as he continued to rant about how strange your idea of _‘FUN’_ was and that, out of everyone here, he didn’t expect you or Blue to be people willing to play dirty. Eventually, the rest of the brothers made it up to join you, none of them tired or out of breath like a certain other two skeletons. Stretch looked up towards the peak of the mountain, his brows furrowing slightly. 

“wait, is this the end of the trail? I thought you said we’d be goin’ to the top.” He asked, looking back at you and awaiting your reply. 

“Oh, we will be. We just have to make our own path! Luckily, there is already one here.” You walked over to the edge of the woods, pulling back some shrubbery to reveal a small trail you had made when you started hiking. Well, it was more like you made it when Sans wasn’t there to teleport you to the top. You continued talking, carefully stepping over the briars so that they didn’t snag your clothes, “It’s not recommended to go all the way to the top, but it’s not like anyone does anything to prevent people like us from doing it.”

“rule breaker, huh? I can get behind that.” Red said with a shit-eating grin, shrugging his shoulders as he started making his way towards your person. 

“And you will be since, this time, I shall lead our expedition up the mountain.” You continued talking before Edge had the chance to complain about who was the leader, returning your gaze in front so you could look to see where you were stepping, “The trail gets hard to see sometimes, but I’ve walked this path enough times to know my way around. I’m sure I could do it in the dark if I wanted to!” 

“HUMANS _ARE_ KNOWN FOR BEING ABLE TO SEE EXTREMELY WELL IN THE DARK, AFTER ALL.” Black said from behind you, a teasing tone in his voice. You continued to walk, trading fun banter with some of the brothers and genuinely just having a really good time. Even Edge had started joining in; he was still his usual disagreeable self but was a lot less bitter than you’d come to expect him to be. Alas, the conversations between all of you came to an end as soon as you reached the top. There in the middle of the plateau was the large hole that leads to the Underground – the exact same one Frisk had fallen down all those years ago. Even though you’ve seen it multiple times now, there was still something about it that sent a shiver up your spine.

“That’s why it’s not recommended that anyone comes up here – they just don’t want anyone getting hurt.” You said, avoiding talking about the multiple people that had climbed the mountain before Frisk, knowing full well of the legends that no one who made it to the summit ever made it back alive to tell the tale. It was supposed to be a fun and light time, not one where you talked about the number of people who perished beneath your feet.

“yeah, and they’re doing a fine job with that.” Stretch said with an amused grin, motioning to the small fence that had been put in as a barrier. It wasn’t anything crazy, just a janky wooden fence that came up just a little bit above your waist.

“I’m sure that could stop anythin’ from gettin’ by.” Red joked, his gaze eventually falling on you as he talked, his grin becoming slightly sinister. He turned fully to you, saying as he pointed to the entrance of the Underground, “I dare ya to climb over it.”

Did… he just give you a dare that could possibly put your life at risk and, if things went south, perhaps actually kill you? You didn’t even need to think twice about your answer as it made its way past your lips, “Oh, you’re on.” 

Your lack of self-preservation was one of your many flaws, and so was your inability to turn down a dare. It had been that way your entire life, it seemed. Once, when you were in elementary school, Josh had dared you to climb the largest tree on the playground. You couldn’t refuse, your bullheadedness not allowing you to back down from the challenge. Did you end up climbing the tree? Yes, yes you did. 

Did you manage to break an arm and get a concussion in the process? Yes, yes you did.

You and Red shook hands, both giving the other a smirk before a voice rang out from beside you, “WAIT, WAIT, WAIT – _WHAT_? DIDN’T YOU JUST TELL US THE FENCE IS THERE TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT?” Edge asked as he looked at you as if you had just grown a second head. 

You know how stupid you sounded as you spoke, but that’s never stopped you before so you answered his question without hesitation, “I mean… yeah? But it’s not like I can just turn down a dare – I’m no chicken.”

“YES, YOU ARE NOT A CHICKEN – YOU ARE A _FULLY-GROWN HUMAN_ WHO KNOWS HOW RECKLESS CLIMBING THE FENCE WOULD BE AND THAT SHE SHOULDN’T EVEN ATTEMPT IT.” Black chimed in, giving you that disapproving older-brother stare with a hint of concern about your mental stability. You could understand why; you just got done thinking about all of the people who had died after falling down that hole and, now, apparently wanting to do it yourself. Maybe your bravery was just stupidity in disguise. 

“yeah, uh… I don’t think you should do that either, buddy – not the smartest idea.” Stretch chimed in, his smile nervous and eyes pleading as if to say _‘please don’t be stupid.’_

“I AGREE! YOU DON’T EXACTLY HAVE THE BEST TRACK-RECORD WHEN IT COMES TO NOT GETTING INJURED FROM WHAT I’VE HEARD.” Blue’s argument was convincing as it reminded you of all the times you had managed to hurt yourself: from the tree incident to the day you dislocated your ankle hitting it off your nightstand, you really _didn’t_ have a very good track-record.

“heh, didn’t think you’d all be this soft. It’s just a little dare – nothin’ that’s gonna kill her.” Red said, causing a small argument to break out between himself and Black. Maybe Red was testing you or something – maybe, if you did this little dare, he might start to treat you like you hadn’t pissed in his Cheerios. Alas, your recklessness seemed to win over any ounce of sense in your body. You made your way across the plateau and over to the fence, placing your hands on the rough surface and easily lifting yourself over it; the lack of effort and care put into this _“barrier”_ certainly showed. You made your way over to the edge, inching closer and closer while making sure you didn’t trip over a stray tree root or rock. Soon there you were, looking down into the darkness of the Underground. There seemed to be a large patch of buttercups at the bottom of the pit, the golden-yellow looking more vibrant as the sun began its descent. You turned your attention back to the skeletons who were a few yards away, completely oblivious to your disappearance. 

“Hey, Red!” You yelled, cupping your hands around your mouth to project your voice better. Everyone turned to look at you, some eyelights extinguishing while others just straight-up started panicking (Ex. Blue). 

“SEE WHAT YOU’VE CAUSED!? YOU ENCOURAGED HER RECKLESS BEHAVIOR!” Black exclaimed, gesturing with a gloved hand to where you were standing.

“I didn’t think she’d actually do it! I was just fuckin’ around!” Red looked nervous as his gaze went between you and Black. You weren’t sure whether he was nervous for your safety, for his safety at the hands of Black, or what Sans might to him if you happened to die. All were valid reasons, you supposed.

“Guys, I’m completely fine! The ground isn’t too unstable,” You tapped your foot on the ground a few times, enough to show them that it was stable enough to hold your weight. You looked up with a small smile, continuing to speak, “see? It’s all good–!”

The dirt below your feet crumbled, almost perfectly on cue with your little ‘everything’s A-OK’ speech. It was sort of funny in a weird way; the universe as a whole seemed to have a soft-spot for irony. A sharp yelp escaped past your lips as the ground beneath you vanished. Your eyes instinctively closed as you felt the wind begin to beat against your face as you began your descent, body seizing up and awaiting the impact of earth… that never happened. Instead, you were suddenly pulled back roughly by the hood of your jacket; never before in your life had you been so overjoyed to have zipped up your hoodie.

You fell back into a taller figure, the same feeling of Sans’ teleportation wrapping around you before you eventually hit stable ground. You were sitting in the grass, two arms holding you in an almost vice-like grip. You leaned back to see Rus who appeared to be out of breath as sweat made its way down his skull. Eventually, he looked down at you, his eyelights dilated like they had been earlier this afternoon. 

“Guess I, uh… fell for you this time, huh?” You joked, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief as he released you from his hold and fell backward into the grass to catch his breath. You let yourself fall beside him, waiting for the sudden burst of adrenaline to dissipate in your body. You could hear multiple pairs of footsteps making their way over to you. Soon enough, Blue was standing above you with an expression that screamed _‘you almost gave me a heart attack!’_

“OH MY STARS WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING?? YOU COULD HAVE DIED!” He exclaimed, his eyelights scanning your body as if he were checking to make sure you weren’t injured in any way. 

“Well, uh, if I’m being honest with you… I wasn’t thinking at all.” You told him honestly, reconsidering nearly every decision you ever made. You were so lucky that half of the skeletons you knew had the ability to teleport; if they didn’t, you’re sure you would be a pancake at the bottom of that pit right now. 

“OBVIOUSLY! I’M NOT SURE IF YOU COULD CALL THAT BRAVERY OR JUST FOOLISH RECKLESSNESS!” Black said, towering over both you and his brother as you lied in the grass. You wanted to say you were brave despite knowing that wasn’t the truth in the current situation, but Edge butted into the conversation before you had the chance to say anything. 

“I THINK SHE’S JUST A RECKLESS FOOL.” Edge cut in, staring down at you with an unamused expression. Red was standing next to him, looking a little worse for wear – poor guy looked like he had just seen a ghost. 

“Oh, um… look guys! The stars are finally starting to come out! Isn’t it such a beautiful sunset?” You widely gestured to the sky above you, trying to get their attention away from you and your idiotic choice. 

“DON’T YOU CHANGE THE SUBJECT!” Blue exclaimed, “WE ARE NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!”

The night continued on with the brothers either: A) Lecturing you about being a reckless fool, or B) Poking fun at your inability to sense or recognize danger. Edge and Black both talked for a bit about how you wouldn’t have survived a day in their Undergrounds, only adding to your theory that their original universes weren’t the safest and/or nicest places in the world. The banter eventually became lighter, though, as time continued to pass. Everyone just sat on the ground, taking the time to stare up at the beautiful navy-blue sky above you. The dark abyss was sprinkled with the white speckles of stars and, in the distance, the reddish glow of Mars and the bright golden glimmer of Saturn. At some point during the stargazing session, you had fallen asleep. This was most likely due to the sudden lack of adrenaline causing your body fall into a deep, hibernation-like slumber. You have no idea how much time had passed when you were woken up by an unexpected poke in your side, the sudden contact causing you to flinch from your surprisingly pleasant rest. 

“heh, you ticklish or somethin’?” You opened your eyes and turned your head to see Red. He was crouched down next to you, a devious smirk on his skull, while the other skeletons stood behind him near the trail; they were all talking amongst themselves and appearing to be having a good time while doing it – quite a pleasant scene to wake up to, actually. You turned your head to the other side to see Rus still sleeping soundly next to you; he seemed to be in a much deeper slumber than you had been… if that was even possible. Though, at some point, it appeared as though he had rolled over so that his face was pressed into the ground like one would do with a pillow; it was quite the sight, a mixture between being amused at the situation to being concerned about how he was able to breathe sleeping like that. 

“I’m not ticklish – you just startled me, is all.” You told him, sitting up and stretching your still tense muscles. You really wanted to crack your neck but, luckily, you knew better after living with Sans and Papyrus for as long as you have; you’ve learned that, apparently, cracking any bone in your body was a very obscene gesture to do around a skeleton. Red sent you a questioning look as if he didn’t believe what you had said – you really hoped he would drop it and wouldn’t bring your inability to handle tickles in the future. You continued to speak, however, gaze traveling back up at the sky, “What time even is it?”

“it’s around midnight, I think – not sure. all I know is that it’s late and Vanilla is probably wonderin’ where we’re at.” You nearly choked on your spit at his nickname for Sans, covering your mouth with one hand as you started laughing. 

“Oh my god, is that what you’re calling Sans? Vanilla?” Red seemed to be quite happy at your enjoyment of Sans being the butt of the joke, his smile becoming just a bit wider to show off his golden tooth. You continued, your laughing starting to die down, “What do you call Papyrus? Cinnamon roll? Creampuff?”

“hey, Creampuff ain’t too bad. think me and boss will start usin’ that one.” Eventually, the quiet laughter died out and you turned to Rus, poking him in his side like Red had done to you. He didn’t move an inch, so you just poked him again in an attempt to stir him from his nap. Nothing happened… he had absolutely no reaction to anything – he wasn’t even flinching! You could hear him muttering something, but it was muffled by the ground so you couldn’t make anything out. Eventually, after a minute or two of your futile attempts at waking Rus up, Black came over to pick his much-taller-than-him brother up as if he weighed nothing, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Black noticed your impressed gaze and raised an eyebrow, giving you a sly smirk.

“WHAT’S WITH THAT LOOK? I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AFTER ALL.” Well, he had a point there. You and Red followed after Black, rejoining the group and beginning your journey back down the mountain. Luckily the trip back home always seemed much shorter than the trip up. Everyone was walking in front of you; Blue was conversing with Edge, the two of them seeming to be getting along, while Stretch was walking next to Black as they traded casual banter, the latter of whom was still carrying his brother. That just left you and Red trailing behind the group. 

“sorry I, uh, dared ya to do that – it was stupid to tell a human with a brave soul to do somethin’ like that.” Red told you, never looking over to make eye contact. A part of you was a bit suspicious as he didn’t seem like one to just outright apologize. Maybe Blue had convinced him to say it? Though, that wasn’t what you were focusing on at the moment. 

“Wait, you know what my soul trait is?” You asked, genuinely curious. You were told that the only way to see a human’s soul trait and/or traits was to pull their soul out during an ENCOUNTER. 

“oh, uh, yeah… I can check souls outside of an encounter, so that’s what I ended up doin’ with yours – nothin’ too intrusive, I promise. just wanted to check your STATS before I decided to sleep in the same house as ya.” He told you honestly, looking over at you for a moment to gauge your reaction. You didn’t think that was too bad – it’s not like checking someone’s STATS was intimate or anything. From what you’ve learned after living with monsters for so many years is that the act of looking at a soul is only intimate if it is _physically_ summoned outside of an encounter; all Red did was take a quick peek, after all – no harm done there. 

“I think I’ve heard Sans talk about STATS before, but neither him or Papyrus have ever told me what mine were…” You paused for a moment before continuing, feeling almost eager at the revelation you might get to know more about yourself than the average human, “what _do_ mine look like, though?” You asked, voice soft and laced with curiosity; you almost sounded like a child when they decide to start asking about the _‘why’s’_ and _‘how’s’_ of life. 

“well, your attack is pretty much non-existent, but your defense isn’t too bad considerin’ your LV. didn’t look at your HP, though – wasn’t important.” Red shrugged his shoulders, his gaze traveling back to the ground in front of the both of you. While his reply didn’t exactly answer your question fully, since you were still curious to know _how_ low your attack was or the exact number of your LV, but decided not to push it. You were just starting to talk to him like, you know – _he didn’t try to kill you a few days ago_ – and you didn’t want to end up annoying him and end up ruining any progress you had made. Besides, you could always just ask either Sans and Papyrus to tell you; they probably wouldn’t have any qualms about it.

“So, you just wanted to see if I was a threat then? I don’t blame you – humans did trap your entire species underground, after all… sorry about that, by the way.” You paused for a brief moment, eyes traveling to watch the group of skeletons walking in front of you before continuing, your voice a bit softer than usual, “People are just scared of things they can’t understand, magic being one of them – doesn’t excuse it, though.” 

“hey, don’t worry ‘bout it – not like you did it personally.” He replied, voice sounding almost clipped due to the sudden heavy topic. Your new housemates had never even seen the surface until recently and, from the scars that littered a lot of the brothers’ skulls, and Edge and Black’s stories about their Undergrounds, you could see they didn’t grow up in as nice of a community as your Sans and Papyrus had. Out of everyone here, they certainly had the right to be bitter at humanity for the pain inflicted on their species.

You continued following everyone, cracking a few jokes with Red here and there until the lodge came into view. You let out a sigh of relief at the sight – your feet were actually killing you, every step starting to feel like you were walking on hot coals; you couldn’t wait to take a nice shower to wash the sweat and dirt and, to a degree, shame from your body. Sans came into view though, looking almost frazzled; Papyrus was standing next to him, smiling and greeting everyone as you rolled in. Though, as soon as Sans saw you, his shoulders slumped and he let out a breath he probably hadn’t realized he had been holding. 

“oh, thank the stars you’re alright; thought somethin’ bad happened.” He said, walking down the porch stairs to meet you in front of the house. Well, you had told him you would try and be home before 10:00, and you ended up arriving back home at – _wow_ it was almost 3:00 in the morning. Time sure does fly after falling into a coma-like nap after a near-death experience; good to know for the future. 

“Geez Sans, can’t you put a little faith in me? I am capable of babysitting a few skeletons.” You joked, gesturing to the brothers who remained outside. Rus had gone in at some point, probably to go back to sleep after Black woke him up, with Stretch following his lead. Blue was talking to Papyrus, Black, and Edge closer to the garage while Red stood right next to you, looking as casual as ever with a slight smirk that revealed his sharp gold tooth. 

“BABYSITTING _US_?” Edge scoffed from across the way, rolling his eyelights as he crossed his arms, “WHY DON’T YOU TELL _‘VANILLA’_ HERE ABOUT YOUR LITTLE STUNT?”

“your what now?” Sans said, eyeing you warily as he scanned for any new injury you could have possibly gotten while hiking. You laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck and looking at everyone _but_ Sans. Papyrus looked confused as he glanced around to see if someone would explain, while Blue’s skull looked a bit paler than normal. Black and Red were smirking, taking great joy in your misery and embarrassment, and Edge’s expression was as pleasant as ever. At this point, you were wondering if he if was capable of an expression that didn’t convey _at least_ a little bit of hate or distaste. 

“Well, uh, I decided to go to the edge of the opening on the top of the mountain to look down, and, uh… _almost fell in on accident_.” You spoke, your volume becoming quieter and quieter as you bathed in the embarrassment you felt – you were a grown adult, you shouldn’t feel like you have to do something stupid just because someone dared you.

 _“y o u d i d w h a t ?”_ Oh geez, he did the scary voice – that was never a good sign in any context. You shrunk a bit under his scrutinizing gaze. Times like these are when you wish you were blessed with the magic known as teleportation; Sans and the others didn’t know how lucky they were to be able to just disappear into thin air at a moment’s notice. 

“OH MY STARS – WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?? DO REALIZE YOU HAVE QUITE THE HABIT OF HURTING YOURSELF UNINTENTIONALLY?” Papyrus made his way to you, scolding you like the mom-friend that he was. The next time you see Toriel you need to ask if he learned these traits from her, or if he was just a naturally-born mother hen. Though, despite his disappointed-mother tone, he still picked you up and held you in a tight embrace, lifting you a good foot off of the ground. Normally, you hated when people would pick you up, mostly because of all the times Josh had given you piggyback rides only to accidentally trip over his own feet and cause you both to plummet, but you trusted Papyrus with everything. Not to sound dramatic or anything, but you could probably trust him with your life; the same goes for Sans and, apparently, Rus as well.

“MY IDIOTIC BROTHER DARED HER TO DO SO AND SHE, SIMILAR TO THAT OF A CHILD, REFUSED TO BACK DOWN FROM IT – WHAT DID YOU SAY? YOU’RE NOT A CHICKEN?” Edge asked you, his usual scowl now an arrogant smirk plastered on his skull. You may have felt a bit irked by his mocking and might have actually replied back with a snarky comment, but right now you were focused on Sans and Red having a silent standoff. Sans glaring at Red like he had just insulted his brother which is never something you do without facing the consequences. It made your heart feel a bit fuzzy though, knowing how much you mattered to the brothers. 

“funny story, right?” Red asked, looking as smug as ever. This only seemed to cause Sans to become even more irked, his eyelights still absent. You jumped into the conversation, throwing yourself in between the two of them just in case; you really didn’t want a skeleton battle breaking out in the front yard, despite how cool it sounded in theory. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it! Rus grabbed me before I could fall in – nothing bad happened in the end and everything turned out all right.” You said, giving Sans a soft smile to make sure he knew you were 100% okay and that nothing was wrong. You were still alive, _luckily_ , and that’s what mattered. He just sighed, running a boney hand down his face.

“if you say so, starlight – just, uh, don’t do somethin’ like that again. our hearts can’t handle it.” Sans said jokingly, an underlying seriousness telling you to stop making such rash decisions without thinking about the consequences. 

“You guys don’t even _have_ hearts, though.” You replied in jest, attempting to make the air around everyone a little lighter – you’ve had to use that special skill of yours a lot more as of late, you realized. 

“METAPHORICALLY WE DO, SO DON’T DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS AGAIN!” Papyrus scolded you again, his hands placed firmly on your shoulders as he looked down at you, his eyes never leaving yours. It was always so strange, even still to this day, to see Papyrus look so serious – you’re way more acquainted with his more up-beat and optimistic, _‘EVERYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON IF THEY TRY’_ personality. 

You laughed lightly and gave Papyrus another hug, trying to give some semblance of comfort to your friend, before releasing him and saying with a hint of seriousness, “Okay, okay – I promise. Let’s get to bed then, okay? I mean, if I’m tired then I’m sure everyone else is.”

“WELL… I SUPPOSE THAT MAY BE TRUE.” Papyrus started, continuing with a brief clap of his hands, “ALRIGHTY, THEN LETS _‘HIT THE HAY’_ AS THE HUMANS SAY!” You snorted a bit at the way Papyrus decided to both word that sentence and the tone he used to say it. You always found him saying terms coined by humanity by following it with something that had the same energy as _‘how do you do fellow kids?’_ to be extremely funny – Papyrus didn’t know it, but he radiated a lot of chaotic energy.

“FINALLY – I WAS GETTING SICK OF WATCHING YOU ALL BE SO… _MUSHY_.” Edge said aloud as he began walking to the porch, following behind Papyrus with a slight look of distaste on his skull. 

“You could have left anytime, you know – I mean, that’s what Stretch as Rus did.” You told him matter-of-factly, giving him a small smirk to convey your words didn’t hold any malice. Though, if he didn’t like your little sentimental and heart-felt moments you shared with both Sans and Papyrus, then he didn’t have to stand there and watch you like one would with a mid-day drama. Pretty much everyone – well, besides Red – seemed to be at least a bit captivated by your interactions with your original skeles. Though, as you began walking behind everyone to enter the house, you felt someone grab your jacket sleeve. You turned around to see Red standing there with your sleeve held between his phalanges. Though, as soon as you stopped walking, he immediately removed his grip on your hoodie almost like it had burned him. He looked a bit strange, an emotion that you couldn’t describe painted across his face. 

“hey, can you do somethin’ for me?” He asked, his voice lower than usual as to not draw the attention of any of the other skeletons. 

“I mean, it depends on what it is – I’m not just blindly agreeing to whatever you’re thinking.” You told him, crossing your arms and looking at him with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk plastered on your face. 

“well, don’t blame ya there. you know me better than I thought ya did,” He started with a smirk that mirrored your own before his slightly flirty attitude dissolved into something a bit more serious.

“actually,” he paused as if thinking about what to say before continuing, “could you just give boss a little more time to adjust to the, uh… the current situation?” Another brief pause, “he just hasn’t been takin’ this whole… _thing_ very well.” He finished with a broad gesture to the world around both of you. Your heart softened a bit at his request. Your smirk melted into a genuine smile, filled with warmth and kindness as you answered his question.

“Of course! Even though he can be very rude, immature, and inconsiderate,” You stopped making your light jabs at Edge’s personality when you saw Red’s expression become a little darker with every not-very-nice adjective you used to describe his brother, but continued nonetheless, “I do understand how hard this must be… for _all_ of you. I’m willing to give him another chance, but _only_ if he doesn’t try to feed me his lasagna again.”

“heh, sounds like a deal to me.” He joked with a small smirk, walking past you and up the stairs to the porch. Though, a thought from earlier popped into your mind.

“Oh, wait – I have a quick question,” You started, causing Red to stop and turn around to face you once more. He made a comical _‘hmm?’_ sound before you continued to speak, “did Blue tell you to apologize to me? You don’t exactly seem like the type of monster to say _‘sorry’_.”

“wow, you really do know me well,” His smirk grew a little bit, further revealing his gold tooth that glinted in the moonlight. Though, he just ended up shaking his head before placing his hands in his hoodie pockets, his smirk becoming a bit duller, “…but no. Blue didn’t tell me to do anythin’.”

You wanted to further press the question since he really _didn’t_ seem like the type of person to feel bad about anything. Well, that as well as, just up until a few hours ago, it seemed as though he didn’t like your mere existence in this world. Though, before you could ask anything else, he gave you a half-asked wave with one hand before opening the front door and walking in, telling you a quick, “Well, g’night doll.” 

You paused for a moment to digest the little nickname he gave you before telling him, “Goodnight, Red. See you tomorrow.” Though, you didn’t follow behind him. Instead, you stayed right where you were at the bottom of the porch stairs. 

Once he realized you weren’t following behind him, Red asked, “You comin’?”

“Nah,” You answered back, “I think I’m just going to hang out here for a little longer. Enjoy the weather and whatnot.”

He waited a moment after your response to reply, “Whateva’ floats yer boat, then.” Before entering the house and shutting the door behind him. You were still very tired – _exhausted_ , actually – but you felt as though you had a lot to digest. The day was way more eventful than you had planned it to be, one example being the fact you _could have died_ because you couldn’t say no to a dare. Though, overall, it was a good trip you had together with your new housemates. You couldn’t help but feel giddy at the excitement that was growing in your chest, a feeling similar to butterflies in your chest. 

Some of them were actually starting to like you or, well… at least tolerate your presence. Either way, it was progress and you were going to take it. With one last glance towards the sky and a determined smile on your face, you went inside to take that nice hot shower you deserved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _O O F_ \- I really didn't mean to take this long for this update to come out;; I've been working on his chapter on and off since the last update, but just now got to finish as well as proofread it. I hope its length is enough to make up for the lack of updates. xD 
> 
> I'm finally on break, but I still have finals next week which I am not looking forward to at all... hopefully, though, I'm going to try and update this a few times during my winter break since I have the next ten or so chapters planned out - I just have to write them! I'm super excited for the upcoming chapters _oh ho ho_.~~
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and all of the support you guys give me - it means the world to me! ♥


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